Family Remedy
by Fafnerluver922
Summary: Tenzin decides to take his vacation to the South Pole to celebrate the Festival of the Sun. His siblings were proud to see him spend more time with his family; but later into the day they found the real reason why he came to the South Pole. Secrets will be revealed, and familiar pains will return breaking family ties.
1. Chapter 1

**To My Dear Readers,**

Forgive me, I just need to let the creative juices out. Ever since episode 3 of book two of Legend of Korra, I got a little pissed with Tenzin. So I decided to write this. I'm pretty sure some Kya fans, and or Tenzin fans will hate me for this, but this is one of my theories about Kya, my favorite character. I'm hoping that I can write the next part, but with the Finals coming up I highly doubt it. But seriously, I'm thinking just 2 maybe 3 chapters for this mini fic then it's either back to Code Geass or Samurai Jack. ~ Ciao ^_^

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**I do not own the Legend of Korra franchise, but this story and all original characters, I own. ^_^**

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**Family Remedy**

**Chapter 1**

Tenzin, along with his family and siblings, decided to spend the rest of their family vacation visiting Katara in the South Pole. It was not part of his initial vacationing plan, but after receiving an invitation from the Order of the White Lotus he did not dare refuse.

Tenzin received the invitation two days prior from their departure. An air nomad came running to him holding a silk pillow with the letter safely placed on top of it. When Tenzin opened his letter, he immediately instructed his family and his siblings to pack their bags for the long journey towards the South Pole. By now, they have been traveling via-sky bison for two days. The kids have not set foot on land for a long time and started to get irritated with the trip.

"Are we there yet?" Meelo asked in his high pitched voice.

"Not yet Meelo, be patient!" Tenzin insisted.

"Okay. What about now? Or now? Or –"

"Meelo, please! I'm trying to steer Oogi!" Tenzin had enough of Meelo's childish questions and was about to scold his son, when he felt Bumi suddenly slap his shoulder with a smile.

"Don't worry little brother, I got this!" Bumi grabbed Meelo by the waist and sat his nephew on his knees. "Meelo, did I ever tell you the story of how me and my men traveled into the center of the ocean, and defeated the mighty Snake Shark with our bare hands?"

"Not yet uncle, tell the story!" Said Meelo, as he ecstatically jumped on top of Bumi.

"I want to hear it too!" Ikki exclaimed.

Bumi was pleased that his niece and nephew were excited to hear another adventure story from him. Massaging his hairy chin with his large right hand, the children sat in front of him and waited. They leaned towards their uncle and looked at him full of hope and wonder. When Bumi had finally thought of a way to tell his tale, he slapped his knee and snapped.

"It was a dark and stormy night," he started. "me and my men were sailing in the ocean with food rations that would only last us a few more days. We were starving, lost; they were scared but you know I wasn't! And then, out of nowhere, we felt something hit the bottom of our boat. As the captain of the ship, I peered over the side of my ship, and saw…"

Ikki suddenly cut Bumi, and raised her hand. "Ooh ooh ooh, I know, I know! The mighty Snake Shark!"

"Hmm sorry Ikki, it was just a bunch of sharp rocks, but the Snake Shark will be coming soon." Bumi answered.

"Aw, man!"

Tenzin was listening to their conversation. He hated the idea that that his brother would tell tall tales to his children, and passing them on as true stories. He gave Pema a distraught look, pleading her to take their children away from Bumi, but her hands were already full with Rohan. He thought about asking Kya, but he knew that she would choose Bumi's side.

Tenzin let out a low grunt and concentrated at the sky. "Snake sharks don't exist!"

Jinora was sitting beside Tenzin the whole time he was mumbling to himself. In her hands, she had the envelope which her father received two days ago. She was very curious with what the letter contained, but whenever she asked her father if she could read it Tenzin would not allow it.

"Dad, what is in the letter?" She asked.

"Jinora, I've told you that you can't open the letter."

"I'm not opening it." She said. "I'm asking you what's in it.

Tenzin let out a sigh and took the letter from Jinora's hands. "We're going to celebrate the Festival of the Sun with your grandmother and the Order of the White Lotus."

"What's the Festival of the Sun?"

Tenzin was about to answer his daughter's question, when Kya suddenly interrupted from the back. "Jinora, sweetheart, you know your father can't answer that." She pointed out. "He's never lived in the South Pole."

"Of course I have! I've lived there for a long time!" Tenzin raised.

Kya snorted at his remarked and corrected him. "Yeah, for three months; and that's only when you visit!"

Looking at Kya, he gestured his hand towards his daughter. He was doubting that Kya would not be able to explain it like he would. Intellectual and fact filled. "Okay then, Kya. Why won't you explain the festival to my daughter?"

"Glad to!" Kya moved upfront and sat next to Jinora. "The South Pole's weather can be unforgiving, and the worst one would be the South's infamous long winters. For four months, the sun would not shine in the South because the snow is so thick that even the sun could not penetrate through the clouds. The Festival commemorates the return of the sun after the harsh four months. Years ago, the festival was exclusively only for the southern water bending masters. They used to meditate and pray around a fire for a week until the sun came up. The time of the sun's return was a sign of hope and thanksgiving and back then the water bending masters believed that they were the only ones capable of greeting the sun because of their high meditative prowess. But now, it is open for everyone who are willing to travel far. For older travelers, this festival has become a pilgrimage. The festival is filled with games and extravagant feasts! On the day of the sun's return, everyone will join hands and create a giant prayer circle to greet the sun. The people of the South still give thanks to the sun for not leaving them."

Jinora's face lit up and hugged her aunt for the wonderful explanation. "Wow aunt Kya, I didn't know you knew so much about the festival!"

"Of course my dear. Since your grandmother was always an honoured guest, I always tagged along." Kya said with a breath of proud air.

"The Festival of the Sun sounds amazing!" Jinora exclaimed. "Don't you agree, dad?"

Kya looked at Tenzin and teased him. "Yeah dad, don't you agree?"

Tenzin _humphed_ at Kya's playful jeer and shrugged off the conversation. "I could've said it better." He said to himself.

"What was that Tenzin?" Kya hollered.

"Oh, nothing, I said nothing! Oogi, yip yip!"

A few hours later, the family arrived in the South Pole and were merrily greeted by the Order of the White Lotus. It has been six months since Tenzin and his family had set foot on the compound, and from the time they left nothing much has changed.

* * *

The White Lotus' compound was a secluded place, and was far from the main city. If someone from the city decided to visit the compound on foot, it would take them at least two months. Riding a snowmobile would take the traveler at least three weeks. Given that the weather would be fair. Like the other villages of the South Pole, the compound sheltered the members of the order in tents made out of wood, animal skin and thick animal fur. The only difference was that there were gaming booths, food stalls, and a stage filled with color changing lights for entertainment.

"Tenzin!" A member of the order opened his arms and gave Tenzin an awesome hug. "We thought you wouldn't make it in time." He was burly and dark skinned. But don't let his appearance fool you; amongst the other members of the order, he was the most approachable.

The man's hug was spine crushing. Tenzin could barely breathe but he didn't want to kill this man's spirit. "It's nice to see you too, Hoda." He said, stuttering to catch a breath. "Could you please, uhm –"

"Oh, forgive me old friend!" Hoda lets go of Tenzin and helped him straighten his back. "It's just that it's been so long."

Hoda then looked behind Tenzin and saw his family. His children got off Oogi with ease while Pema carefully slid down at the sky bison's side, with Rohan tucked safely in her arms. Kya and Bumi on the other hand were expecting to be treated the same way during their stay in the Southern Air Temples and brought the luggage down one by one.

"Where are my manners?" Hoda rushed towards the sky bison and stopped Kya and Bumi from doing the unwanted tasks. "You are our distinguished guests, you don't have to. Please." When Hoda clapped his hands a handful of servants rushed into the scene, taking care of their luggage problems. "Your rooms are already prepared. Please, get yourselves comfortable and join the rest of the people in the festivities."

Bumi watched as the servants lifted all the bags making them disappear from his very eyes. He was happy to know that the order knew that he and his sister were also children of Avatar Aang and not servants. "Ohoho, I can get used to this!" He nudged Kya by the shoulder and winked. "I should have retired here instead!"

"That's nice Bumi." Kya wasn't paying any attention to her brother. She was focused at her surroundings as if she was looking for someone. "Hoda, wasn't it?" She raised. "Have you seen our mother, Katara?"

"Ah yes, master Katara." Hoda's expression gleamed. "She arrived here yesterday."

"That's great! Where is she?"

"Even though we insisted that she shouldn't lift a finger, she is currently going from hut to hut healing people who have, how do you say, 'partied too hard.'"

"Typical of mom," Bumi intruded. "she has a soft side for injured people."

"Now that we know where gran-gran is, can we please play some games?" Ikki tugged at her father's sleeve as she pointed at one of the gaming booths tested the customer's throwing arm.

"Sure Ikki –"

"I'm sorry, dear little one." Hoda suddenly interrupted. "But your father's presence is requested by the White Lotus elders."

"I am?" Tenzin raised.

"Of course, Tenzin. Didn't you read the letter?" Hoda reminded.

"Ah yes, I almost forgot." He looked at his daughter, who had disappointment written all over her face, and caressed the top of her head. "Don't worry Ikki, daddy will play with you and your siblings, after."

Ikki then flashed a smile and nodded. "Okay! In the meantime, aunt Kya and uncle Bumi can play with us!" She looked at her aunt and uncle, filled with hopeful expectations and took no for an answer.

"Sure, we'll play with you guys! How about we start with that one?" Bumi pointed at one of the gaming booths that had guns that shoot pellets at moving targets. "Last one there is a smelly Otterphant!"

Bumi dashed towards the booth with the children following behind him yelling that he is a no good cheater. Kya shook her head and laughed.

"Kids! Don't forget to wear your coats. It'll get colder as the day goes by." Pema reminded in a shout.

"Yes mom!" The children answered.

"I can't say no to that, I guess." She said to herself. "What about you Pema?"

"I'll be resting in my room. Rohan and I need to catch up on our sleep. Don't we little one?" Pema wiggled her finger in front of her youngest son, and he responded with childish chortles and giggles.

"That's fair enough." Kya said. "Tenzin, we'll be seeing you, right?"

"Of course." Tenzin answered. "This is a family vacation after all."

* * *

Going their separate ways, Tenzin was accompanied by Hoda. He was led into the biggest tent in the area and in it, the five White Lotus elders were sitting at the end of the room with a hearth blazing in the center. In front of them was a straw box about fourteen inches wide lying in front of them. Hoda secured the door and led Tenzin towards the center.

"Elders of the Order, I present to you, Tenzin, the air bender!" Hoda's joyful expression quickly changed once he was in front of the elders, presenting Tenzin in a restrained manner.

The elder at the very left of the line lifted his head and spoke. He was bald, and the lines on his face corresponded his age. "Tenzin, do you know why you are here?"

Tenzin looked at the elders and cleared his throat before he spoke. He had white hair tied into a high ponytail and had dark skin. "Yes; but are you all certain that you have made the right choice?"

The elder at the center looked at the others before he answered Tenzin. "Of course, Tenzin. You are the only air bender after all."

"But I am unworthy." Tenzin raised. "I don't mean to be rude, but your age is proof of your experience. I am still a novice compared to all of you."

"Don't belittle yourself Tenzin." The elder at the right side of the elder at the center spoke. "Hoda here joined the order before the festival started. And you're almost at the same age." He pointed out."

"Besides, joining us would restore the elemental balance of the White Lotus. We need the element of air to complete the circle." The elder at the far right added.

Tenzin was about to reproach the elders, but felt Hoda's hand clasp his shoulder. "Tenzin, we know what happened between you and the Avatar."

Tenzin had a doubtful expression upon his face. "Give me some time to think about the offer." He said.

"We understand that this is a difficult decision and we respect your answer. However, you are only given one day to answer, before the Sun appears." The elder at the center said.

"Thank you." Tenzin bowed at the elders and was about to leave.

"Wait, Tenzin." Hoda called. He ran towards the elders, gave them a bow, and grabbed the straw box in front of them. "We know that you haven't given us your answer, but please accept this." Hoda offered the straw box to Tenzin.

Grabbing the straw box, Tenzin opened the lid and was shocked to see what was inside. His face softened and his mind was cleared from any unsettling memories. The White Lotus elders looked at each other with a smile, seemingly knowing what Tenzin's answer would be.

* * *

Back in the festival, Bumi and Kya were moving from one game booth to another with Tenzin's kids. They rarely have the opportunity to spend time with their nieces and nephew because of their uptight little brother, but whenever the children have time to visit they spend as much time as they can with them; especially whenever Tenzin had other important matters to deal with.

Playing in rigged game booths and eating festival snacks was never cheap. With Tenzin's kids running about, it was no surprise that Bumi and Kya had thought of another way to have fun and save a couple of Yuans before the festival ends.

Bumi rounded up the children and told them that they would be playing with snowballs. At first, the children thought that an innocent game of snowball fighting would not be as exciting as the games in the festival, but when Bumi said that the three of them would go against him and Kya, the children's previous thoughts about the match worsened.

"No fair, uncle Bumi!" Meelo stomped his foot on the snowy ground, and tightened up. "You're older than all of us combined."

Hearing Meelo speak about their age was never pleasing to Bumi's ears, and dropped that fact. He patted the little boy's back and got closer; whispering to his ear. "Did I mention that you guys get to use your bending while Kya won't?"

Meelo's face lit up and ran to his sisters, sharing this sudden rule change. Kya overheard the boys' conversation and let out a modest laughter. "I didn't know that you of all people would play fair."

"Hey, have a little faith in me sis. Besides they're just harmless kids. What's the worst they can –"

Suddenly, three wads of snow smacked Bumi in the face, knocking him down to the snow. The children let out a successful laughter. Using their bending, they shot their snowballs towards their aunt and uncle, the speed of their shots were incredible leaving their aunt and uncle helpless.

"Cheaters!" Bumi roared.

"Hey, you said we're allowed to use our bending!" Ikki retorted.

Kya helped her brother up with one arms while shielding against the children's snowballs with the other. "How's it like playing fair?" Kya joked.

Before getting up, Bumi grabbed a handful of snow and threw it at the kids, hitting Jinora's forehead. "It isn't fun!" He answered.

Bumi and Kya took their positions and started returning fire. The children scattered across the festival's square doing their best to avoid hitting other people but their aunt and uncle. Even Kya and Bumi had that same strategy.

Their heated battle came to a close when Jinora slipped, accidentally throwing her snowball astray. The kids eyed the loose snowball and were shocked when they saw it floating in the air. Meelo and Ikki had thought that the snowball had gotten possessed by a snow ghost, but Jinora knew better. She looked up and saw her Katara, hovering the snowball with her bending and smiling at the children.

"Gran gran!" Jinora stood up and ran towards her grandmother, giving her a well-deserved hug. Ikki and Meelo followed their sister and did the same.

"Oh, I thought I'd never see you this soon!" Katara gave her grandchildren a hug and kissed their foreheads. "You look adorable in your coats!"

"I look like Oogi!" Meelo exclaimed as he twirled in his blue water tribe fur coat.

"Thank you gran gran for giving us these coats." Jinora said.

"Oh, it's nothing, I knew that there would be a day where you'll be staying in the South for a few days." Katara mentioned. "What are you doing out here? Shouldn't you be resting from your long journey?"

"Sorry about that mother," Bumi answered. "But kids will be kids." Bumi and Kya greeted their mother the same way the children did.

Katara looked around and noticed that Tenzin was not in their group. "Where's Tenzin?"

"Tenzin went somewhere with Hoda." Kya answered her with a bit of disappointment in her voice. "Pema and Rohan are in their tent, if you want to visit them."

"Oh…" Katara seemed like she was not happy to hear that Tenzin was not with them. Kya noticed this and reassured her that Tenzin promised them that he will spend time with his family after his business with Hoda. "That's not the only thing I'm worried about," Katara brought up. "It's just that –"

"Hey, everybody! Sorry I'm late." Tenzin came running. There was something odd about him, as if he has received great news leaving a huge smile plastered on his face. But that was only one minor detail of his oddity. He was wearing the uniform of the Order of the White Lotus. The indigo garment flowed in his sprint. He looked very noble in his new attire.

"Wow dad, you look cool!" Ikki ran to her father and tugged the garment with her hands.

Tenzin held Ikki's hands and tugged them off his garment. "Thank you, Ikki. But please, try not to tear it. It's fairly new."

The children ran towards their dad to admire his new look. Bumi also complimented his brother, telling him that he looked like a stiff lamppost. Tenzin's new attire pleased his children. But when Kya looked at her mother, thinking that she would praise him as well, saw that Katara's joyful exterior disappeared. Her forehead creased downward and her smile became a frown.

"Mother, what's the matter?"

Katara looked at her daughter, with tears forming in her eyes. "I thought that Tenzin knew better." She started. "But, it seems like he had found something more important than his family." She said with a sigh.

* * *

Later that night, when the kids and Pema were all asleep; Tenzin crept out of his hut and hovered through his way to the White Lotus' main tent. It was in the middle of the night, everyone was resting and the gaming booths and food stalls were closed. The sky was still heavily covered with heavy clouds filled with snow that torches had to be lit to light the whole compound. Tenzin did not want anyone to know what he was up to, and did his best to keep his feet off the snowy ground. He looked back at his tent and saw that the lights were still out. Letting out a sigh of relief he looked towards his initial direction, but was suddenly joined by his two siblings.

"Ah, Kya!" He shrieked in a hushed tone. "What are you doing here?"

"The question is, what are you doing here?" Bumi reiterated as he clasped his brother's shoulder letting his feet touch the ground. "Shouldn't you be back in your tent with your family?"

"I know I should be in there, but I… I have to finish something –"

Kya grabbed the letter of invitation from her pocket and fanned it in front of Tenzin's face. "You accepted the orders' offer, didn't you?"

Tenzin was surprised. "How did you… Mother told you, didn't she?" He grabbed the letter from Kya and crumpled it in his hands.

"Was that the main reason why you came here?" Kya started. "You said that this would be a 'family vacation,' not about you!"

Tenzin suddenly became frustrated with his sister. "Why do you care what I do with my life? I can do whatever I want!"

"Does your family know?" Kya suddenly asked.

Tenzin held his retort. He suddenly hid the letter in his pocket and took a step back.

"Well, I guess we know the answer to that." Bumi exclaimed. "Tenzin, are you sure you know what you are doing? Mother is quite disappointed when she saw you wear that uniform."

"So what?"

"So what!?" Kya suddenly raised her voice. "Tenzin the order devote themselves in meditation and training twenty four hours a day! Do you know what that means?"

Tenzin crossed his arms and pouted. "Of course I do!"

"Liar!" Bumi pointed out.

"What?"

"You cross your arms and pout when you lie." Bumi pointed at Tenzin's form with his finger. "You're doing it right now."

"Tenzin, that means you'd have to leave Pema, and your kids behind." Kya explained. "I thought this was a 'family vacation?'"

Tenzin stomped his foot on the ground. "It is!" He insisted.

"Oh no it's not." Bumi corrected him. "You're here because of a job opportunity. After the president took his seat in Republic City, and being dismissed as the Avatar's mentor, you thought that you would regain your authority by joining the White Lotus."

"That's not true!"

"Stop lying to us!" Kya said as she raised her voice to her brother. "Ever since dad found out you were an air bender, he spoiled you like crazy! Whatever you wanted, you got, and all you had to do was just open your mouth! You loved having power ever since you were a child!"

Kya and Bumi's constant bickering got louder. Tenzin was growing tired of his siblings downgrading him and had enough.

"Can you two, please stop bossing me around!" Tenzin roared, his face flushed red. "I am a grown man, I can do whatever I please!"

"We're not doing this for you, you selfish airhead!" Bumi spat. "We're doing this for Pema and your kids."

"What?"

"Mom's worried about you," Kya held Tenzin's shoulder and gave Bumi a concerned look. "We're concerned about you too."

Tenzin looked at his siblings, and began to laugh. He took their concerns as a joke. Tears started to form in his eyes. Once he was done, he took a few seconds to catch his breath. But his siblings were serious. After he was done fooling around, they were looking at him sternly.

"You weren't joking?"

"Why would we kid about your family?" Bumi raised. "You know, we've spent more time with your kids than you have ever since you decided to take a vacation. You should hang with 'em more."

"Excuse me?" Tenzin raised a brow.

"I agree with Bumi," Kya exclaimed. "starting now, you are going to back to your tent, take off those ridiculous clothes, and have a fun filled day with your family tomorrow."

Tenzin's face cringed. Hearing more lectures from his siblings, about him needing to spend more time with his family irritated him. His fury filled every single bone in his body and he started to lash out.

"You think that I don't know what's best for my family!?"

"Tenzin, we didn't mean to –"

Tenzin cut Bumi short. "You can't tell me how to raise my family! You're not married!" He growled.

Kya pushed Tenzin to the side to cool him off. "That's enough Tenzin, you know that we're only thinking of what's best for the kids."

Fumes snorted out of Tenzin's nostrils as he gave Kya a menacing look. "And as for you!" He pointed at her sternly. "I don't want to hear anymore parenting advice from you."

"Tenzin I –"

"I'm a better parent than you are, you hear me!" He roared. "Because even though I was not always around for my kids, they are still alive!" He said angrily as he pointed at his hut.

Kya suddenly trembled. Hearing what Tenzin had to say had made her uneasy, and somewhat scared. She pulled herself together and looked at Tenzin, trying to act brave. "What… What do you mean?"

Tenzin crossed his arms, and gave out a loud snort. "Oh please, don't play dumb, Kya! We both know your daughter died because of you!"

**To be Continued…**


	2. Chapter 2

**I do not own the Legend of Korra franchise, but this story, and all original characters I own! ^_^**

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**Chapter 2**

The cold bitter wind blew wildly as the siblings continued their stand-off. Tenzin, who was still teeming with rage, breathed heavily under the barrage of snow. He was glaring at Kya, who was standing before him. She turned her gaze away from her little brother. She clenched her chest with her trembling fist, trying not to look weak in front of him. Seeing his sister tremble at Tenzin's calloused remarks, Bumi grabbed Tenzin by the shoulder.

Pulling him closer towards his face, Bumi curled his brows, showing Tenzin his anger. "Stop it right now, Tenzin!" He snarled in a whisper.

Seeing Bumi suddenly be filled with anger, Tenzin realized that he had plucked a nerve with his siblings. He found it amusing that he had given him the same treatment they gave him and refused to stop.

Pushing Bumi aside, he walked towards Kya as he blasted more unpleasant words to Kya. "Why the sudden silence?" He mockingly said to his sister as he spread his arms. "You know that I'm not lying this time! You keep telling me that I do not spend time with my children, but you never left your daughter's side, and where is she now?"

Kya withheld her anger by tightening the her fist. She did not want to succumb to Tenzin's outbursts but his words were reopening old wounds and looked at her brother; her eyes holding back her tears.

"Tenzin, please. Stop." She uttered in her shaky voice.

It seemed like Tenzin did not hear his sister's plea and continued. "She's dead Kya! She's dead, because you wouldn't stop experimenting your new found 'healing' techniques on her. Even Konan would be ashamed of what you've done."

"Konan would understand why I had to do those things!" Kya finally cried. "I was trying to save her!"

"Save her?" Tenzin snorted. "You killed her! You knew that she was beyond saving, and yet you pursued your medical conundrums on that poor girl. Your experimentation quickened her death, Kya. You are a murderer!"

Bumi could no longer stand and watch and interrupted. "Tenzin that's enough –"

Bumi was about to force Tenzin to cease his heated outbursts. But when he was about to step in, he felt his body froze. He couldn't move his feet, nor his hand and he started to panic. He looked at Kya, giving Tenzin a petrifying glare, and noticed both her hands at her side with their palms wide open. He could not prevent what he feared the most.

* * *

"Kya!" Bumi roared.

Tenzin looked at his little brother, who looked like he was frozen, and raised a brow. "Don't interrupt us Bu –" Suddenly, he felt his body fly towards the compound's fortified walls and struck its icy surface. When he opened his eyes, he realized he couldn't stand up. He saw Kya, walking towards him while holding a stance. His eyes started to tremble, and his heart raced. He knew what his sister was doing to him.

"Let me go, Kya!" Tenzin roared. "Mother never taught you how to blood bend!"

Kya raised Tenzin's body and kept it afloat. "No, she didn't. I taught myself." She sneered. She hurled Tenzin's body towards the wall repeatedly until she created a large fissure using Tenzin's back.

Tenzin felt feint. His body was being controlled by a furious Kya and he couldn't unbind himself. Another strike to the wall and he could lose consciousness. Suddenly, he fell to the snowy filled ground and was somehow thankful that he was still alive. When he raised his battered body, he saw Bumi grabbing Kya from behind.

"Kya, that's enough!" Struggling to get Kya back to her senses, Bumi slowly tightened his hold around her. Kya kept squirming in his grasps until she couldn't breathe. When Kya had finally released herself from her own rage, she breathed heavily on Bumi's chest. "Are you done?" He asked.

Kya looked at Bumi and scowled. She pushed herself out of his grasps. She looked at Tenzin, who was striving to get on his knees and felt that her fists were tightening once again. "Never make me do that again!" She then looked at Bumi. Her fearful appearance turning into grief; and then leaving her brothers as she returned to her tent.

* * *

A few minutes after the argument, a few Southern tribesmen came out from their huts to inspect the loud noise they heard. They were surprised to see a section of their wall in a severely damaged state. The wall was riddled with cracks and at the center of the wall, a small crater formed. One more hit from whatever they thought stroke the wall would have crumbled it to pieces. Bumi and Tenzin were seated at a wooden bench near the scene, being interrogated by the Southern water tribe authorities. The authorities wanted to what happened to the wall and what they were doing at the time the wall was struck.

"It was an accident officer!" Bumi explained. "I couldn't sleep so I decided to take a midnight stroll. I was having a great time when I heard a strange noise. I followed the sound and saw a massive Tiger Seal rummaging through the festival's garbage. It was probably hungry, 'coz when I got closer to check it out it chased me around this place!" Bumi flailed his arms up in the air, trying to re-enact the scene while sitting down. The two officers could not make out Bumi's explanations and looked at each other with their weird out faces. "Then, I placed myself in front of that wall, and dodged before the tiger seal could even bite my head off. It slammed right on the wall. Realizing it could not catch me, it decided to leave." Bumi had a triumphant smile drawn across his face after he had said his tall tale.

"Okay...?" The officer on the right uttered. "Where did it escape?"

"Huh?" Bumi looked up and thought. "I haven't thought of that." He said to himself.

"And what about you, Master Tenzin, have you seen this uhm… Giant Tiger Seal?" The other officer asked.

But Tenzin couldn't respond. He was sitting on the wooden bench, with his back slouched, hands together, and his mind elsewhere. He looked melancholy, almost guilty, making the officer suspect that he knew the real story. The officer was about to ask him again, when Bumi patted his brother at the back and started to laugh.

"Now I remember!" Bumi exclaimed. "Tenzin came out and saw me in a pickle, yes he did! Then after the Tiger Seal hit itself on the wall, he lifted the animal with his bending and carried it to the other side of the wall!"

"Is this true master Tenzin?"

Tenzin looked at the officer, with the same surprised and confused look. "Uhm, yes! Yes it's all true!" He smiled at the officers in full agreement.

The officers looked at each other, thanks the brothers for their time and cooperation and headed towards the restless crowd, telling ordering them to return to their huts and that the situation has already been handled. The brothers kept their blissful smiles until the officers left them. When they were finally alone, Bumi punched Tenzin's right shoulder.

"Ouch, what was that for?" He questioned as he rubbed his sore shoulder.

"You know perfectly well why I had to do what I did!"

* * *

"… I know…" Tenzin returned to his previous position, looking at the ground. "It was wrong to bring up Konan and Anana, but I was so angry that I –"

"Do you even remember why we rarely talk about them in front of Kya?" Bumi reminded. "They were Kya's whole world; and they died, Tenzin. Kya had a difficult time getting through their deaths, and we both know that until today she has not moved on. You've just made it worse! And accusing her as a murderer no less!" Bumi's chest broadened. His nostrils flared in anger and his face scrunched with rage. He then stood up.

Tenzin looked up and saw his brother, standing straight beside him with his hands tucked behind his back. "Where are you going?" he asked.

"I'm going to look for Kya!" Bumi took a few steps, but decided to stop and leave Tenzin an explanation. "Oh, and one more thing. I chose not to get married, because I knew that someday I would die in the battlefield. I did not want my family to grieve for me!" Bumi howled before leaving his brother.

* * *

Now that Tenzin was alone, he gave out a loud sigh and looked at the snow covered sky. It was gray and heavy with ice.

"It might snow tonight…" He said to himself. Looking at the ground, he contemplated on what he was going to do next. He looked at the direction where Bumi went off to, and started formulating apologies for Kya.

He came up with simple ones, those which started with I'm sorry and ended with this will never happen again. Complicated ones that used hifalutin words to confuse his sister that he did not mean all the things he said. But as the minutes flew by, his mind could not decide the proper action.

"Why is it easier to make speeches, than apologies?" He groaned.

Footsteps were suddenly heard. Tenzin looked up and saw his eldest daughter, still half-asleep. Jinora propped herself next her father and rubbed out the sleep out of her eyes as she gave out a big yawn. Tenzin was glad that someone from his family came out to join him. But he wondered, why it was Jinora.

"Shouldn't you be asleep, Jinora?" Wrapping his arm around his daughter to warm her, Tenzin brought Jinora closer.

Jinora looked at her father expressionlessly. "Aren't you supposed to be in bed too?"

Tenzin quickly averted Jinora's question and started to improvise. "Um, er… Look at the sky Jinora." He said while pointing up into the gray heavy sky. "It might snow tonight. You haven't seen snow, right? Stay here for a while and maybe –"

"I heard everything dad." Jinora suddenly spat. "I even saw what aunt Kya did to you."

Tenzin had thought that he left his tent in a mouse like fashion, but unlike the Southerners, who are used to hearing heavy snowstorms in the middle of the night, Jinora was a light sleeper. When he and his siblings started to argue, Jinora was suddenly disturbed from her slumber. She thought that it was one of her siblings talking in their sleep, but when she turned around to find that her father was not in the tent, she got up and peered through the door. She saw her aunt, uncle and father, at the middle of the square having a heated conversation at the middle of the night. Grabbing her coat, her initial plan was to walk straight to her elders and scold them that there are people trying to sleep. But once she stepped out of the tent, Tenzin raised his voice at Kya. Jinora has never seen this side of her father before and was afraid. She hid behind one of the empty food stalls and saw everything.

Realizing that Jinora had heard a dark family secret, Tenzin felt worse about himself. "I'm sorry… It's just that I…"

Father and daughter was suddenly surrounded by silence. The humming wind, was awaiting for a voice between them to break the silence. Jinora looked at her father with disappointment and spoke.

"Did aunt Kya really have a daughter?" She asked.

"Yes, Jinora." He then stared into the sky and got lost at its infinite grayness. "She would have been around her twenties now."

"Then who's Konan?"

"Who?" Tenzin asked.

"You mentioned someone named Konan."

"Oh… Him." Tenzin did not know how to tell her daughter about Kya's past, but whenever he would look at her, she would look at him with her eyes filled with expectations and answers. He gave out a deep sigh and gave Jinora a quaint smile. "Konan is your uncle; and Kya's husband."

Jinora was surprised to learn this information and was taken back. "If I have an uncle, then why haven't I seen him?"

"It's a long story." Tenzin confessed.

"Don't worry dad, we've got all night."

Tenzin has gotten himself into a trap. Jinora was eager to know more about Kya's dark past, and even though he was not very fond of sharing the story, he had already brought the subject up.

* * *

About thirty years ago, the Southern Water tribe was famous for their healers, evidently because of my mother and sister's expertise. My mother kept close with the traditional type of healing, which has been passed down from her great grandmother. Kya, on the other hand, was a forward thinker. Besides mastering all of mother's healing techniques, she had created a set of her own. One of her famous treatments was known to relieve the patient from their traumatic experience. She would have the patient submerge their head in water and she would control the water's current with her bending until the patient would be relieved from the experience. It was a very dangerous and grueling process; depending on the situation of the traumatic experience. Released too early, the memory would surge back into the brain in an instant and shock the patient. Released too late, and the patient will start losing their memories. This new technique shocked the medical field, and doctors across the world traveled all the way to the South Pole to catch a glimpse of Kya's work. Most of them were there for medical purposes, while others found a reason to ask for my sister's hand.

Eligible men from the Northern and Southern water tribe courted my sister. Sending her rare flowers, medical herbs, and outrageous gifts like a pack of polar bear dogs. Why go to the depths to marry my sister you ask? I'll give you two answers. She's an innovator in the field of medicine, and she's Avatar Aang's only daughter. She had been turning down betrothal necklaces even before the hype of her healing career, for reasons she never discussed with me. It was only Konan who was able to win my sister's heart; even today I still wonder what she saw in him.

Konan was from the Southern Water tribe, but he was a non-bender. He was from the same village so we grew up together ever since we were kids. When I discovered that I had a talent for air bending, your grandfather sent me to Air Temple Island to train. From time to time I would visit mother and Kya in the South. Each time I visited, he did his best not to be so obvious when he was courting Kya. But he couldn't even hide behind a tree, let alone hide from me. He was a burly man. Tall, for a man from the Southern water tribe, and because of his height and weight, he was pretty strong; and fearsome. He was like a boulder with feet because whenever he walked around, you could feel the ground quake a little. I do not know why my sister married him. He's clumsy, loud, and he can be slow both in movement and in the head. I even found his hobby useless.

His hobby, which he calls his "profession" is photography. Personally, the only good thing I can think of when it comes to photography, is that it captures special moments. Konan however, takes photos of just about anything. People, glaciers, even the plain sky. Whenever I'd come by for a visit, I keep telling him to get a proper job, and maybe he'll have chance with Kya. Before I left, it looked like he wouldn't put down his camera, and by the time I came back; they were already married.

I decided to take a break from air bending training and stay in the South Pole. My mother was overjoyed, to see me finally spending more time with family. My idea of family bonding would be spending some time with my sister and mother, but Kya had other ideas. She forced me to spend some quality time with Konan, a men's only trip if you will. We would go fishing, hunting, but most of the time, we'd be lying on the icy floor on our bellies so not to disturb Konan's subject for his photographs. I tried very hard; honest. But Konan and I had nothing in common. Then, one afternoon, while Konan and I were looking for caves for his next project; he told me that he was planning to take his profession to the next level. He had heard that Republic City was beginning to build Aang's statue and planned to take a photo once it was complete. Republic City was the place to be, he said. The place to take his profession into new heights. He told me that he would take photos of animals he has heard but never seen before, and sell them to magazines. Of course, I was very doubtful that he was going to pursue this, but he seemed very determined. Two years later, Aang's statue had been completed and Konan and I sailed to Republic City; leaving my mother and a pregnant Kya behind.

Once the boat reached Republic City, Konan and I had already planned where we were going. I was heading to Air Temple Island, while he found a place with a friend in the middle of the city. Before we went our separate ways, he gave me a good firm handshake, and a backbreaking pat in the back. He told me that even though we didn't kick off during my stay in the South, he was sure that once he got the hang of the city life, we'd be hanging out like old friends.

I was skeptical, of course, but as the months went by I slowly got impressed with his work. There was this magazine which showed information and photos of the wildlife in islands that surrounded the city, and Konan was one of the photographers. Color wasn't introduced into film back then, so everything was in shades of brown or gray; but when you took a glimpse of Konan's photos, his subjects seemed to be bursting with life and color in those two shades. Constantly practicing in the white landscapes of the South, had really put him in the edge. The magazine became an instant hit, and Konan was beginning to be a respected photographer and in a span of six months no less. But his career was suddenly cut short one fateful day.

To celebrate his upcoming successes, I invited him to lunch in one of Republic City's high end restaurants. I told him to meet me at the restaurant at 12 'o clock sharp. When I was about to turn into the corner of the restaurant, an explosion came from the inside. I quickly dropped for cover, but when I looked up I saw the restaurant covered in flames. People around the block searched for buckets of water to put the fire out, but it was too strong. When the firemen came, the restaurant was already half eaten by the flames. They were able to put out the flames, but no one in the restaurant was able to escape. I searched around the crowd for Konan, but what I feared the most came true. An hour after the incident, the authorities came in to search the ruined building for any survivors. There were only a few. Women, children, and some of the employees came out with minor burns. Some were covered with wounds, but were still alive. However, most of them have been engulfed by the flames. And Konan was one of them. I told the authorities, that I can identify that this body was my brother-in-law and I requested to have the bodies to be shipped to their respective homes. It was never easy coming back to the South Pole with a couple of bodies wrapped in body bags. But what I couldn't bear, was seeing Kya devastated. When she saw Konan's body, she fell into her knees. I've always seen my sister as someone who was strong and collected. And seeing her weep in front of Konan's body; it was just too much.

* * *

Tenzin paused for a moment to hold himself together. Remembering Konan's death had led him to tear up. He wiped his eyes with his sleeves, and took in a deep breath. "I'm sorry…" He uttered.

Jinora let her father wipe the remaining tears in his eyes before she spoke. "How did the explosion happen?" She asked.

"Equalists." Tenzin answered. "Blowing up the restaurant was one of their first major acts of rebellion. The restaurant was a place for both benders and non-benders. Back then, they didn't care who they killed, as long as there were benders in the building."

"And, aunt Kya? What happened to her?"

Letting out a sigh, Tenzin brought Jinora closer to him. He rubbed his daughter's shoulder to share the warmth, and thought about how to answer her question. Looking at Tenzin, Jinora knew that her father had a hard time to find words. Because while his hand transferred warmth on her shoulder, he was doing his best to keep his jaw from trembling; holding in what might have been sudden grief.

* * *

A month after Konan's death, Kya gave birth to your cousin, Anana. I wasn't there. I immediately left for air Temple Island three days after Konan's funeral. I had to continue practicing my bending skills, but mother and Kya kept in touch through letters and photographs. The first time I saw a photo of Anana, she was only three weeks old. She reminded me of you when you were born. Small, harmless, but her eyes were filled with promise. Kya couldn't stop talking about her in her letters. She would even write about the first time Anana tried to stand up. You might think that these letter were useless, but to me Kya's letters had always put my mind at ease. I could see that she was happy. Anana kind of filled Konan's void. They would tell me to come visit so I can finally hold my niece, but I just couldn't. I needed to practice. So I came to know Anana through this type of communication. My favorite photo of her was when she was five years old. She was cute and chubby. Kya wrote it in her letter that Anana had found her father's camera and wondered what she found. Kya set-up the camera and asked someone to take their photo, and the result was hilarious. The camera Konan used wasn't the ones that flashes after a push of a button. The subject needed to hold a pose for a while, and then the camera would do its job. The photo they sent me was one of their outtakes. Kya was sitting on a chair with Anana on her lap. Anana was about to nod off to sleep and almost fell off her mother's lap. Kya immediately grabbed Anana from falling causing Anana to grab her mother's hair but at the same time look at the camera to take the shot. A few more months has passed, and more letters and photographs kept coming in. In one of the letters, Kya had told me that Anana was a water bender. Watching her mother perform healing techniques on her patients, must have been the trigger. She said the first time Anana showed her bending was when she spilled her glass of water and slowly raising the liquid from the ground. Even though I haven't seen Anana physically, I felt like I have created a special bond with her. I had to go to the South Pole. The monks told me that my next free time would be the next year. I became hopeful. But when the year was about to end, something terrible happened.

I learned that Anana had gotten very sick. It was cholera. Back then none of the Southern healers knew what she caught; not even Kya. They did everything in their profession to save the little girl, but they just couldn't. They knew she was a lost cause, but Kya didn't back down. Whenever I received letters from mother, she would write about Kya's sleepless nights, trying to find a cure. Kya thought of a thousand and one ways, and it scared me. I wrote back to mother, telling her that I'll be heading to the South as soon as possible, and set Kya straight. There are things beyond Kya's control, including death. And I wanted to tell her that personally. A four days after I've sent the letter, I snuck out from Air Temple Island and sailed to the South. It was the first time I saw the South empty with children and I was forced to wear a medical mask so that I would not contact the disease.

I didn't want to stay very long because I knew the monks would punish me. So I immediately looked for my sister. When I found her, in one of the tents, I also saw Anana lying on the bed; all pale and thin. That was the first time I saw her face to face. She did not look like the happy little girl in the photo; she looked much worse. Kya was on her medical table, concocting some type of tea, or medical syrup for Anana, when I told her that she should stop what she was doing. Of course she wasn't pleased, and told me to explain myself. I argued that Anana is far from being saved, just by looking at her you'd know that she can go any minute. I told her that she should stop wasting her efforts trying to save her, and that maybe she was killing her faster with her untested methods. We fought for several hours, until I gave up. She was very stubborn, and lacked a lot of sleep. Continuing to fight her would get me nowhere. So I stepped out, and waited to reason with her; but she would not quit. After a week of getting her to stop, Anana died from shock. The Southerners couldn't bury her body because of the disease and burned her instead. Kya was defeated. I could not look her in the eye, and after the funeral pyre, I left to return to the temple.

* * *

"Two days after Anana's death, a doctor from Republic City announced that he had found a cure for cholera and saved countless lives. If only Kya hadn't been experimenting on Anana, maybe she would have a chance to live." Tenzin exclaimed. "If only she had listened to me back then!"

Letting out an exasperated breath, Tenzin felt triumphant that he was able to answer all of his daughter's questions. He looked at his daughter, who was staring at the floor and awaited for her to speak.

Jinora looked at her father and was displeased with his story. "You're the worst, dad!"

* * *

**To be Continued...**


	3. Chapter 3

**I do not own the Legend of Korra franchise, but this story, and all original characters I own! ^_^**

* * *

**Chapter 2**

The cold bitter wind blew wildly as the siblings continued their stand-off. Tenzin, who was still teeming with rage, breathed heavily under the barrage of snow. He was glaring at Kya, who was standing before him. She turned her gaze away from her little brother. She clenched her chest with her trembling fist, trying not to look weak in front of him. Seeing his sister tremble at Tenzin's calloused remarks, Bumi grabbed Tenzin by the shoulder.

Pulling him closer towards his face, Bumi curled his brows, showing Tenzin his anger. "Stop it right now, Tenzin!" He snarled in a whisper.

Seeing Bumi suddenly be filled with anger, Tenzin realized that he had plucked a nerve with his siblings. He found it amusing that he had given him the same treatment they gave him and refused to stop.

Pushing Bumi aside, he walked towards Kya as he blasted more unpleasant words to Kya. "Why the sudden silence?" He mockingly said to his sister as he spread his arms. "You know that I'm not lying this time! You keep telling me that I do not spend time with my children, but you never left your daughter's side, and where is she now?"

Kya withheld her anger by tightening the her fist. She did not want to succumb to Tenzin's outbursts but his words were reopening old wounds and looked at her brother; her eyes holding back her tears.

"Tenzin, please. Stop." She uttered in her shaky voice.

It seemed like Tenzin did not hear his sister's plea and continued. "She's dead Kya! She's dead, because you wouldn't stop experimenting your new found 'healing' techniques on her. Even Konan would be ashamed of what you've done."

"Konan would understand why I had to do those things!" Kya finally cried. "I was trying to save her!"

"Save her?" Tenzin snorted. "You killed her! You knew that she was beyond saving, and yet you pursued your medical conundrums on that poor girl. Your experimentation quickened her death, Kya. You are a murderer!"

Bumi could no longer stand and watch and interrupted. "Tenzin that's enough –"

Bumi was about to force Tenzin to cease his heated outbursts. But when he was about to step in, he felt his body froze. He couldn't move his feet, nor his hand and he started to panic. He looked at Kya, giving Tenzin a petrifying glare, and noticed both her hands at her side with their palms wide open. He could not prevent what he feared the most.

* * *

"Kya!" Bumi roared.

Tenzin looked at his little brother, who looked like he was frozen, and raised a brow. "Don't interrupt us Bu –" Suddenly, he felt his body fly towards the compound's fortified walls and struck its icy surface. When he opened his eyes, he realized he couldn't stand up. He saw Kya, walking towards him while holding a stance. His eyes started to tremble, and his heart raced. He knew what his sister was doing to him.

"Let me go, Kya!" Tenzin roared. "Mother never taught you how to blood bend!"

Kya raised Tenzin's body and kept it afloat. "No, she didn't. I taught myself." She sneered. She hurled Tenzin's body towards the wall repeatedly until she created a large fissure using Tenzin's back.

Tenzin felt feint. His body was being controlled by a furious Kya and he couldn't unbind himself. Another strike to the wall and he could lose consciousness. Suddenly, he fell to the snowy filled ground and was somehow thankful that he was still alive. When he raised his battered body, he saw Bumi grabbing Kya from behind.

"Kya, that's enough!" Struggling to get Kya back to her senses, Bumi slowly tightened his hold around her. Kya kept squirming in his grasps until she couldn't breathe. When Kya had finally released herself from her own rage, she breathed heavily on Bumi's chest. "Are you done?" He asked.

Kya looked at Bumi and scowled. She pushed herself out of his grasps. She looked at Tenzin, who was striving to get on his knees and felt that her fists were tightening once again. "Never make me do that again!" She then looked at Bumi. Her fearful appearance turning into grief; and then leaving her brothers as she returned to her tent.

* * *

A few minutes after the argument, a few Southern tribesmen came out from their huts to inspect the loud noise they heard. They were surprised to see a section of their wall in a severely damaged state. The wall was riddled with cracks and at the center of the wall, a small crater formed. One more hit from whatever they thought stroke the wall would have crumbled it to pieces. Bumi and Tenzin were seated at a wooden bench near the scene, being interrogated by the Southern water tribe authorities. The authorities wanted to what happened to the wall and what they were doing at the time the wall was struck.

"It was an accident officer!" Bumi explained. "I couldn't sleep so I decided to take a midnight stroll. I was having a great time when I heard a strange noise. I followed the sound and saw a massive Tiger Seal rummaging through the festival's garbage. It was probably hungry, 'coz when I got closer to check it out it chased me around this place!" Bumi flailed his arms up in the air, trying to re-enact the scene while sitting down. The two officers could not make out Bumi's explanations and looked at each other with their weird out faces. "Then, I placed myself in front of that wall, and dodged before the tiger seal could even bite my head off. It slammed right on the wall. Realizing it could not catch me, it decided to leave." Bumi had a triumphant smile drawn across his face after he had said his tall tale.

"Okay...?" The officer on the right uttered. "Where did it escape?"

"Huh?" Bumi looked up and thought. "I haven't thought of that." He said to himself.

"And what about you, Master Tenzin, have you seen this uhm… Giant Tiger Seal?" The other officer asked.

But Tenzin couldn't respond. He was sitting on the wooden bench, with his back slouched, hands together, and his mind elsewhere. He looked melancholy, almost guilty, making the officer suspect that he knew the real story. The officer was about to ask him again, when Bumi patted his brother at the back and started to laugh.

"Now I remember!" Bumi exclaimed. "Tenzin came out and saw me in a pickle, yes he did! Then after the Tiger Seal hit itself on the wall, he lifted the animal with his bending and carried it to the other side of the wall!"

"Is this true master Tenzin?"

Tenzin looked at the officer, with the same surprised and confused look. "Uhm, yes! Yes it's all true!" He smiled at the officers in full agreement.

The officers looked at each other, thanks the brothers for their time and cooperation and headed towards the restless crowd, telling ordering them to return to their huts and that the situation has already been handled. The brothers kept their blissful smiles until the officers left them. When they were finally alone, Bumi punched Tenzin's right shoulder.

"Ouch, what was that for?" He questioned as he rubbed his sore shoulder.

"You know perfectly well why I had to do what I did!"

* * *

"… I know…" Tenzin returned to his previous position, looking at the ground. "It was wrong to bring up Konan and Anana, but I was so angry that I –"

"Do you even remember why we rarely talk about them in front of Kya?" Bumi reminded. "They were Kya's whole world; and they died, Tenzin. Kya had a difficult time getting through their deaths, and we both know that until today she has not moved on. You've just made it worse! And accusing her as a murderer no less!" Bumi's chest broadened. His nostrils flared in anger and his face scrunched with rage. He then stood up.

Tenzin looked up and saw his brother, standing straight beside him with his hands tucked behind his back. "Where are you going?" he asked.

"I'm going to look for Kya!" Bumi took a few steps, but decided to stop and leave Tenzin an explanation. "Oh, and one more thing. I chose not to get married, because I knew that someday I would die in the battlefield. I did not want my family to grieve for me!" Bumi howled before leaving his brother.

* * *

Now that Tenzin was alone, he gave out a loud sigh and looked at the snow covered sky. It was gray and heavy with ice.

"It might snow tonight…" He said to himself. Looking at the ground, he contemplated on what he was going to do next. He looked at the direction where Bumi went off to, and started formulating apologies for Kya.

He came up with simple ones, those which started with I'm sorry and ended with this will never happen again. Complicated ones that used hifalutin words to confuse his sister that he did not mean all the things he said. But as the minutes flew by, his mind could not decide the proper action.

"Why is it easier to make speeches, than apologies?" He groaned.

Footsteps were suddenly heard. Tenzin looked up and saw his eldest daughter, still half-asleep. Jinora propped herself next her father and rubbed out the sleep out of her eyes as she gave out a big yawn. Tenzin was glad that someone from his family came out to join him. But he wondered, why it was Jinora.

"Shouldn't you be asleep, Jinora?" Wrapping his arm around his daughter to warm her, Tenzin brought Jinora closer.

Jinora looked at her father expressionlessly. "Aren't you supposed to be in bed too?"

Tenzin quickly averted Jinora's question and started to improvise. "Um, er… Look at the sky Jinora." He said while pointing up into the gray heavy sky. "It might snow tonight. You haven't seen snow, right? Stay here for a while and maybe –"

"I heard everything dad." Jinora suddenly spat. "I even saw what aunt Kya did to you."

Tenzin had thought that he left his tent in a mouse like fashion, but unlike the Southerners, who are used to hearing heavy snowstorms in the middle of the night, Jinora was a light sleeper. When he and his siblings started to argue, Jinora was suddenly disturbed from her slumber. She thought that it was one of her siblings talking in their sleep, but when she turned around to find that her father was not in the tent, she got up and peered through the door. She saw her aunt, uncle and father, at the middle of the square having a heated conversation at the middle of the night. Grabbing her coat, her initial plan was to walk straight to her elders and scold them that there are people trying to sleep. But once she stepped out of the tent, Tenzin raised his voice at Kya. Jinora has never seen this side of her father before and was afraid. She hid behind one of the empty food stalls and saw everything.

Realizing that Jinora had heard a dark family secret, Tenzin felt worse about himself. "I'm sorry… It's just that I…"

Father and daughter was suddenly surrounded by silence. The humming wind, was awaiting for a voice between them to break the silence. Jinora looked at her father with disappointment and spoke.

"Did aunt Kya really have a daughter?" She asked.

"Yes, Jinora." He then stared into the sky and got lost at its infinite grayness. "She would have been around her twenties now."

"Then who's Konan?"

"Who?" Tenzin asked.

"You mentioned someone named Konan."

"Oh… Him." Tenzin did not know how to tell her daughter about Kya's past, but whenever he would look at her, she would look at him with her eyes filled with expectations and answers. He gave out a deep sigh and gave Jinora a quaint smile. "Konan is your uncle; and Kya's husband."

Jinora was surprised to learn this information and was taken back. "If I have an uncle, then why haven't I seen him?"

"It's a long story." Tenzin confessed.

"Don't worry dad, we've got all night."

Tenzin has gotten himself into a trap. Jinora was eager to know more about Kya's dark past, and even though he was not very fond of sharing the story, he had already brought the subject up.

* * *

About thirty years ago, the Southern Water tribe was famous for their healers, evidently because of my mother and sister's expertise. My mother kept close with the traditional type of healing, which has been passed down from her great grandmother. Kya, on the other hand, was a forward thinker. Besides mastering all of mother's healing techniques, she had created a set of her own. One of her famous treatments was known to relieve the patient from their traumatic experience. She would have the patient submerge their head in water and she would control the water's current with her bending until the patient would be relieved from the experience. It was a very dangerous and grueling process; depending on the situation of the traumatic experience. Released too early, the memory would surge back into the brain in an instant and shock the patient. Released too late, and the patient will start losing their memories. This new technique shocked the medical field, and doctors across the world traveled all the way to the South Pole to catch a glimpse of Kya's work. Most of them were there for medical purposes, while others found a reason to ask for my sister's hand.

Eligible men from the Northern and Southern water tribe courted my sister. Sending her rare flowers, medical herbs, and outrageous gifts like a pack of polar bear dogs. Why go to the depths to marry my sister you ask? I'll give you two answers. She's an innovator in the field of medicine, and she's Avatar Aang's only daughter. She had been turning down betrothal necklaces even before the hype of her healing career, for reasons she never discussed with me. It was only Konan who was able to win my sister's heart; even today I still wonder what she saw in him.

Konan was from the Southern Water tribe, but he was a non-bender. He was from the same village so we grew up together ever since we were kids. When I discovered that I had a talent for air bending, your grandfather sent me to Air Temple Island to train. From time to time I would visit mother and Kya in the South. Each time I visited, he did his best not to be so obvious when he was courting Kya. But he couldn't even hide behind a tree, let alone hide from me. He was a burly man. Tall, for a man from the Southern water tribe, and because of his height and weight, he was pretty strong; and fearsome. He was like a boulder with feet because whenever he walked around, you could feel the ground quake a little. I do not know why my sister married him. He's clumsy, loud, and he can be slow both in movement and in the head. I even found his hobby useless.

His hobby, which he calls his "profession" is photography. Personally, the only good thing I can think of when it comes to photography, is that it captures special moments. Konan however, takes photos of just about anything. People, glaciers, even the plain sky. Whenever I'd come by for a visit, I keep telling him to get a proper job, and maybe he'll have chance with Kya. Before I left, it looked like he wouldn't put down his camera, and by the time I came back; they were already married.

I decided to take a break from air bending training and stay in the South Pole. My mother was overjoyed, to see me finally spending more time with family. My idea of family bonding would be spending some time with my sister and mother, but Kya had other ideas. She forced me to spend some quality time with Konan, a men's only trip if you will. We would go fishing, hunting, but most of the time, we'd be lying on the icy floor on our bellies so not to disturb Konan's subject for his photographs. I tried very hard; honest. But Konan and I had nothing in common. Then, one afternoon, while Konan and I were looking for caves for his next project; he told me that he was planning to take his profession to the next level. He had heard that Republic City was beginning to build Aang's statue and planned to take a photo once it was complete. Republic City was the place to be, he said. The place to take his profession into new heights. He told me that he would take photos of animals he has heard but never seen before, and sell them to magazines. Of course, I was very doubtful that he was going to pursue this, but he seemed very determined. Two years later, Aang's statue had been completed and Konan and I sailed to Republic City; leaving my mother and a pregnant Kya behind.

Once the boat reached Republic City, Konan and I had already planned where we were going. I was heading to Air Temple Island, while he found a place with a friend in the middle of the city. Before we went our separate ways, he gave me a good firm handshake, and a backbreaking pat in the back. He told me that even though we didn't kick off during my stay in the South, he was sure that once he got the hang of the city life, we'd be hanging out like old friends.

I was skeptical, of course, but as the months went by I slowly got impressed with his work. There was this magazine which showed information and photos of the wildlife in islands that surrounded the city, and Konan was one of the photographers. Color wasn't introduced into film back then, so everything was in shades of brown or gray; but when you took a glimpse of Konan's photos, his subjects seemed to be bursting with life and color in those two shades. Constantly practicing in the white landscapes of the South, had really put him in the edge. The magazine became an instant hit, and Konan was beginning to be a respected photographer and in a span of six months no less. But his career was suddenly cut short one fateful day.

To celebrate his upcoming successes, I invited him to lunch in one of Republic City's high end restaurants. I told him to meet me at the restaurant at 12 'o clock sharp. When I was about to turn into the corner of the restaurant, an explosion came from the inside. I quickly dropped for cover, but when I looked up I saw the restaurant covered in flames. People around the block searched for buckets of water to put the fire out, but it was too strong. When the firemen came, the restaurant was already half eaten by the flames. They were able to put out the flames, but no one in the restaurant was able to escape. I searched around the crowd for Konan, but what I feared the most came true. An hour after the incident, the authorities came in to search the ruined building for any survivors. There were only a few. Women, children, and some of the employees came out with minor burns. Some were covered with wounds, but were still alive. However, most of them have been engulfed by the flames. And Konan was one of them. I told the authorities, that I can identify that this body was my brother-in-law and I requested to have the bodies to be shipped to their respective homes. It was never easy coming back to the South Pole with a couple of bodies wrapped in body bags. But what I couldn't bear, was seeing Kya devastated. When she saw Konan's body, she fell into her knees. I've always seen my sister as someone who was strong and collected. And seeing her weep in front of Konan's body; it was just too much.

* * *

Tenzin paused for a moment to hold himself together. Remembering Konan's death had led him to tear up. He wiped his eyes with his sleeves, and took in a deep breath. "I'm sorry…" He uttered.

Jinora let her father wipe the remaining tears in his eyes before she spoke. "How did the explosion happen?" She asked.

"Equalists." Tenzin answered. "Blowing up the restaurant was one of their first major acts of rebellion. The restaurant was a place for both benders and non-benders. Back then, they didn't care who they killed, as long as there were benders in the building."

"And, aunt Kya? What happened to her?"

Letting out a sigh, Tenzin brought Jinora closer to him. He rubbed his daughter's shoulder to share the warmth, and thought about how to answer her question. Looking at Tenzin, Jinora knew that her father had a hard time to find words. Because while his hand transferred warmth on her shoulder, he was doing his best to keep his jaw from trembling; holding in what might have been sudden grief.

* * *

A month after Konan's death, Kya gave birth to your cousin, Anana. I wasn't there. I immediately left for air Temple Island three days after Konan's funeral. I had to continue practicing my bending skills, but mother and Kya kept in touch through letters and photographs. The first time I saw a photo of Anana, she was only three weeks old. She reminded me of you when you were born. Small, harmless, but her eyes were filled with promise. Kya couldn't stop talking about her in her letters. She would even write about the first time Anana tried to stand up. You might think that these letter were useless, but to me Kya's letters had always put my mind at ease. I could see that she was happy. Anana kind of filled Konan's void. They would tell me to come visit so I can finally hold my niece, but I just couldn't. I needed to practice. So I came to know Anana through this type of communication. My favorite photo of her was when she was five years old. She was cute and chubby. Kya wrote it in her letter that Anana had found her father's camera and wondered what she found. Kya set-up the camera and asked someone to take their photo, and the result was hilarious. The camera Konan used wasn't the ones that flashes after a push of a button. The subject needed to hold a pose for a while, and then the camera would do its job. The photo they sent me was one of their outtakes. Kya was sitting on a chair with Anana on her lap. Anana was about to nod off to sleep and almost fell off her mother's lap. Kya immediately grabbed Anana from falling causing Anana to grab her mother's hair but at the same time look at the camera to take the shot. A few more months has passed, and more letters and photographs kept coming in. In one of the letters, Kya had told me that Anana was a water bender. Watching her mother perform healing techniques on her patients, must have been the trigger. She said the first time Anana showed her bending was when she spilled her glass of water and slowly raising the liquid from the ground. Even though I haven't seen Anana physically, I felt like I have created a special bond with her. I had to go to the South Pole. The monks told me that my next free time would be the next year. I became hopeful. But when the year was about to end, something terrible happened.

I learned that Anana had gotten very sick. It was cholera. Back then none of the Southern healers knew what she caught; not even Kya. They did everything in their profession to save the little girl, but they just couldn't. They knew she was a lost cause, but Kya didn't back down. Whenever I received letters from mother, she would write about Kya's sleepless nights, trying to find a cure. Kya thought of a thousand and one ways, and it scared me. I wrote back to mother, telling her that I'll be heading to the South as soon as possible, and set Kya straight. There are things beyond Kya's control, including death. And I wanted to tell her that personally. A four days after I've sent the letter, I snuck out from Air Temple Island and sailed to the South. It was the first time I saw the South empty with children and I was forced to wear a medical mask so that I would not contact the disease.

I didn't want to stay very long because I knew the monks would punish me. So I immediately looked for my sister. When I found her, in one of the tents, I also saw Anana lying on the bed; all pale and thin. That was the first time I saw her face to face. She did not look like the happy little girl in the photo; she looked much worse. Kya was on her medical table, concocting some type of tea, or medical syrup for Anana, when I told her that she should stop what she was doing. Of course she wasn't pleased, and told me to explain myself. I argued that Anana is far from being saved, just by looking at her you'd know that she can go any minute. I told her that she should stop wasting her efforts trying to save her, and that maybe she was killing her faster with her untested methods. We fought for several hours, until I gave up. She was very stubborn, and lacked a lot of sleep. Continuing to fight her would get me nowhere. So I stepped out, and waited to reason with her; but she would not quit. After a week of getting her to stop, Anana died from shock. The Southerners couldn't bury her body because of the disease and burned her instead. Kya was defeated. I could not look her in the eye, and after the funeral pyre, I left to return to the temple.

* * *

"Two days after Anana's death, a doctor from Republic City announced that he had found a cure for cholera and saved countless lives. If only Kya hadn't been experimenting on Anana, maybe she would have a chance to live." Tenzin exclaimed. "If only she had listened to me back then!"

Letting out an exasperated breath, Tenzin felt triumphant that he was able to answer all of his daughter's questions. He looked at his daughter, who was staring at the floor and awaited for her to speak.

Jinora looked at her father and was displeased with his story. "You're the worst, dad!"

* * *

**To be Continued...**


	4. Chapter 4

**Dear Readers,**

This chapter might be longer that the previous ones, coz it deals with more memory (and the next chapter will too.) Also, I stopped counting how many chapters I'm making coz, I keep adding each time I type xD. I hope you enjoy it though. ^_^

P.S

Since I got lazy thanking you all individually. Thank you for faving this story and for reviewing it as well!

* * *

**I do not own the Legend of Korra Franchise, but this story and all original characters, I own! ^_^**

**Chapter 4**

Safe within the confines of her bubble, Kya had blocked out any sound that could penetrate from the lake's only opening, and the water's freezing temperature. She needed to concentrate only on the memories she wanted to forget, but this task is easier said than done. She had had patients who had a difficult time channelling their memory causing them to break from their meditative state and be induced to shock. If they wanted to proceed with the treatment again, they had to be sure that the next time Kya would wrap their head in water they can control their memories. Kya only had a few hours to perfectly execute this task and did not want any outside forces to disturb her.

As the white light circled around her head, she started taking deep breaths, calming herself before the actual procedure. Once she placed her hands at the side of her head, the white light slowed down and stopped where her hands laid. She started to put pressure on the area, and felt a sharp pain; like a knife was driven down her spine. With her eyes, still closed, her mind's eye saw a bright light. She had suspended herself from using her senses.

The bright light got closer, and brighter, and even though Kya's eyes were shut, it was as if the sun had graduated in size and planned to blind anyone who would look up in the sky. But the bright light did not stay for too long. After a few seconds of being blinded, the piercing light slowly faded and left what seemed to be the South Pole, but years earlier. Kya had successfully channelled the first memory.

* * *

It was in the South Pole, but set thirty years ago. Hundreds of people, mostly men, flocked to a tiny village which was far off from the main city. These people had different reasons for being there. Some wanted to get a glimpse of the woman who revolutionized the medical universe, while most brought expensive gifts and flashy betrothal necklaces hoping to gain the hand of the Avatar's only daughter.

Peering behind the door of her tent, a young Kya scratched the wooden walls of her home and sneered. "I'm getting tired of this!"

Katara, who was at the table pounding some herbs to create a paste, looked at her daughter and started to chuckle. "I find those boys quite sweet, actually. I mean, back in my day it was only the Northerners who used the betrothal necklace for proposing. But I'm guessing times have changed and even the Southerners have found this tradition quite romantic." Katara looked fairly younger in Kya's memory. She had fewer age lines on her face so whenever she smiled her forehead did not cringe up. And even though her hair was filled with gray hair, there were still some brown spots still saved from aging.

"Mother!" Kya exclaimed as she walked towards the table to help her mother. She grabbed a knife and started to chop several nuts and herbs and added the mix into a boiling pot of water. "Why can't they understand that I'm not interested?"

"Because, you have found a way to treat trauma and –"

"I'm the Avatar's only daughter, I know, I know. But I don't want to settle down with someone I do not know."

Being the only daughter of the Avatar was a major factor, but Kya was also a very attractive and smart young woman. Her hair was not as long as she currently has, but it dangled just above her waist whenever she would tie it. It was thick and brown, but smooth from constant brushing. Her face had no lines from aging, and her beauty mark that was on the side of her left eye was very prominent. Even before the medical breakthrough, most of the men from the South would knock on her door bearing gifts, to sway the beautiful young woman to marry him.

"Keep telling them that you're not sure." Katara advised. "I mean, look at all the free stuff we're getting. Expensive herbs, food that would last us for weeks, and just the other day there was a man who gave us a pack of polar bear dogs, remember?"

"Yes, I remember. But mother, I don't want to feel guilty using them just to get free stuff."

"Kya, look at the brighter side of life. You're quite lucky that these men are giving you gifts. Your father didn't give me a single thing when he was courting me." Katara joked.

* * *

Kya was about to speak, when they heard a loud crash from the back room. They looked at each other and quickly ran towards the room and saw two men on the floor. Katara went deeper into the room and checked if any of their medicine jars broke from the men's fall. The back room was used as storage for Katara and Kya's medicines and medical supplies. It was filled with bottles which were organized alphabetically and were all neatly placed on a shelf. When Katara saw none of their medicine missing or broken, she walked towards the men and punched them on the head.

"What do you two boys think you are doing?" She growled. "You've almost knocked over the shelves, again!"

The thinner man stood up and bowed in front of Katara to apologize. "We're sorry master Katara, we just wanted to talk to Kya. We couldn't get in because of the crowd, so we decided to go through the back window instead."

"Oi, Luka. Help a man up would yah?" The bigger man raised his left arm in which Luka grabbed and pulled him up.

Kya came in with her hand covering her mouth, trying to conceal her laughter. "Let me guess, it was Konan's idea wasn't it?" She said as she looked at Luka.

"Who else would it be?" Konan answered.

* * *

Konan and Luka were Kya's childhood friends. Luka was an average sized male with short brown hair, and wore round spectacles. He is a water bender. He is a jumpy kind of person, and prefers reason over action. But whenever he is surrounded with friends and family, he loses his unadventurous attitude and goes along with the flow. Konan, was his complete opposite. He was big, burly, and very hairy. He tied his hair into a short high pony, and his beard was long enough to be tied as well. His arms could easily be mistaken as logs. But even in his towering and frightening form, he had a gentle soul and had the most graceful hands. He can easily carry three dozen eggs and not break them with his huge hands.

* * *

"Why are you here?" Kya asked. "You could have used the front door you know?"

"They're here for you." Katara answered.

"Me?" Kya stared at the two men and was surprised. "What for?"

Konan was wiping some dirt off of his robe, when Luka elbowed him on his stomach. Konan wondered why Luka had to hit him to get his attention, but when he looked at his friend's face, Luka was pointing at Kya with his head and started to mumble.

Konan wasn't quite sure what his friend was trying to say, but when he looked at Kya, his whole body stiffened and sweat started to pour from his forehead. Kya's hands were crossed in front of her chest, as she raised a brow, waiting for an answer. Konan tried to shrink himself, by scrunching his shoulders inwards and started twiddling his fingers.

"Uhm, we…" Clearing his throat, he stood up straight and looked at Kya with a serious eye. "We just wanted to show you this new spot we saw for our little photo project. We thought that you'd be interested."

Kya thought for a moment. "Well, I do need a reason to get out of here." She uttered. "And you guys always find the most amazing spots; but I need to know if it's okay to leave my mom. I mean, we are kind of busy."

Katara looked at both of the men. Luka was not comfortable with her long stares, and gave out a soft laughter to loosen up all that anxiety. Konan on the other hand, maintained his military like position and looked straight. Katara got closer and stared at him intently. She noticed that he was on his toes, and was holding his breath which made him sweat continuously.

Seeing that the men were such good sports, Katara let out a smile and laughed. "Yeah, it's fine. I'll just tell the other boys to leave the gifts with me."

Kya was thrilled and gave her mother a well-deserved hug. "Thank you, mother!" She then looked at Konan and held him by the shoulder. "You can breathe now."

Konan let out a huge breath and smiled. "I thought your mother will say no."

"When did I ever say no to you?" Katara asked. "By the way, how are you getting out of here without being seen by the other boys outside?"

Luka looked at the window from where he and Konan came into and smiled. "We'll use the same way we went in."

"I'll be the last one out." Konan suggested. "I mean, if I get stuck, at least the two of you can still make it to the place." He joked.

* * *

Getting out of the tent was easier than getting in. It didn't take them very long to get Konan out of the window. Once they were out of the then, they quietly snuck their way out of the village and on to the backs of Arctic Camels, and rode off to their destination. There were four Arctic Camels. One for each person and another for their equipment. They hadn't been riding too long, but Kya started questioning where they were heading. Konan kept reminding her to relax, and told her that the spot is not too far away.

"Don't worry, Luka remembers the way." Konan assured her with a smile.

* * *

Leading the group, Luka steered his Arctic Camel up into a wide slope leading to a small mountain. It wasn't very dangerous so the raced their beast to the very top. Once they all got to the top of the mountain, an air of triumph and satisfaction streamed through their bodies.

Kya got off of her beast and walked close to the edge of the mountain she was in awe. "It's beautiful."

The spot Luka and Konan had chosen for their shoot was a panoramic view of an almost frozen lake that was surrounded with thick walls of ice. The lake had cracks that drew abstract patterns on the ice as it reached towards the wall of ice.

Konan walked behind Kya and smiled. Her hair might have been rattling from the chilly wind, but seeing her finally smiling after so long was a good day for him.

"Isn't she?" He suddenly uttered.

Kya heard him and turned around. His expression was soft, and serene. His closed smile had given him a childlike character under all that burly skin. Kya cheeks were suddenly flushed. She quickly looked at the scenery once again, but her eyes were peering to the side, hoping that Konan did not see her blush.

When Konan saw Kya hiding her affections, he widened his smile and from behind, he grabbed her by the waist and twirled around while letting out a loud roar. Kya let out a high pitched laughter while she being twirled around by Konan. The sudden grab had caused her to think that she would fall off the edge of the mounting. She playfully begged him to stop, but Konan did not let her go and brought her to the safer part of the top of the mountain. Seeing both Kya and Konan having a 'moment', Luka pretended not to see it and unpacked the equipment from one of the Artic Camels. One by one he unravelled the ropes that tied their equipment. He grabbed the camera stand and set it down beside him. Next, he carefully took out the camera box from one of the bags. He reached deeper into the same sack, and suddenly froze.

"Oh dear." Luka kept rummaging in the sack.

Konan heard Luka's agitation and saw him rummaging through their other sacks of equipment. He walked towards his friend and tapped him on his shoulder. "Luka, is there a problem?"

Luka raised himself out of a sack and fixed his spectacles before answering Konan. "I think we forgot to pack the flashbulb." He said.

"The flashbulb? But we don't need it. It's still bright out." Konan exclaimed.

Luka disregarded Konan's words and strapped his Arctic Camel. Konan raised a brow as he saw his friend get on his beast, and started to gallop down the mountain.

"Hey, where are you going?" Konan yelled.

"I'm going to retrieve it!" Luka answered back. "Just set up the camera and start taking photos. I'm trusting you to take beautiful shots, you hear?" Luka clicked his heels and zoomed down the slope; and in a few seconds disappeared in Konan's sight.

* * *

Even if Konan could not believe that Luka would go all the way back to the village just to retrieve their flashbulb, he was still a good friend. He grabbed all their equipment in one go and set-up the camera nearing the edge of the scenery. While he was setting up the camera, Kya was so eager to learn from him that she kept a close distance. Each time Kya would ask a question, Konan would tense up and his heart would start palpitating. His hands would start to sweat, and he would constantly wipe them on the side of his robe even though he was wearing gloves. Kya thought that he looked cute whenever he tensed up and continued her act.

Once the camera was set, Konan focused the lens at the center of the scenery, and began to take a photo. He stood still for a couple of seconds. When he was done, he was disappointed at his first attempt, and took several more. Displeased with the images he took a step back from the camera, and decided to change his approach. Kya had rarely seen him so serious and desperate in his work, that she held him by the hands and smiled.

"Hey, what's the matter?" She asked. "I've never seen you have such a difficult time with any of your works."

Konan knew that she was concerned about him, and tried to keep a calm. "Nah, it's just that there's something not right with the –" He looked down and saw Kya's soft hands wrapped in his giant palms. "Uhm… I-I'm guessing Luka's right about the flashbulb." He coughed. "What's taking him so long?"

Kya looked at the scenery and was puzzled. There was still enough light that introducing the photo with flash might ruin the photo. "I know what you need to get your spirits up." She quickly placed her hand in her pocket and took out a photograph of her water bending near a lake. "This was your first stolen shot of me." She said as she gave the photo to Konan. Konan took a glimpse of the photo, and with such reverie her beamed out a smile. "I was in constant motion." Kya reminded. "And yet you were able to take this photo of me."

The photo in Konan's hands was his first experiment. Kya's initial task was to collect water from the lake. She thought that it would be great to have a little fun with her bending and grabbed a stream of water from the lake. She controlled the water and started to create shapes around her. What the photo captured was when Kya formed a circle in front of her, and noticed that Konan was taking photos of her for a long time. She was looking straight into the camera, with a soft smile as her expression.

"It is my best photo you know." Konan uttered.

Kya playfully grabbed the photo back, and safely placed it in her pocket. "Well, it is my favorite one." She said.

Konan noticed that Kya wasn't acting like herself either. She was very collective and defensive when she would work, but whenever she was around him, she was very playful and approachable. He shook his head, returning his concentration on his work, and walked towards a sack near one of the remaining Arctic Camels.

"What are you doing? I hope you're not planning to leave me here." Kya joked.

"Of course not!" Konan hollered. He stuck his hand into the sack and started rummaging through. "I just need to reload the camera with –" Konan felt something familiar in the sack and pulled it out. In his hand was the flashbulb Luka had been looking for; but this one had a note wrapped next to it. He opened the note and read to himself. "Konan, if you have found this note please forgive me and don't get mad. Let me explain. You have seen the line of men outside waiting to get their hands on Kya, and let me tell you that they have nothing on you. We both know that you love her, and it's obvious that she likes you too. That's why I took the liberty of leaving you two alone, and packed your 'best work' in this bag. Hope you come down that mountain triumphantly. Luka. P.S if she says no, please don't punch me in the face when you get back."

* * *

"Hey, what's taking so long?" Kya asked.

Konan crumpled the letter and stuffed in the bag. "Darn it, Luka!" He accidentally punched a wooden box and hurt his hand. He took out the box, and saw that it was still intact. "Oh, it's nothing. Don't worry I'm almost done." He opened the box and saw the betrothal necklace he made for Kya.

It was a simple leather choker with an upside down blue crescent moon lying on the middle, and two small blue stones besides it. He frowned at his creation because it did not look as grand as he thought it would be. He was nervous while carving out the blue ore he used for the moon that he could still see the jagged edges. But he didn't have enough time to overthink. He saw the line of men waiting outside Kya's doorstep, and it kept getting longer as the days go by. He thought that, if now wasn't the perfect time, when will it be? Even his best friend gave him the moment to let him pop the question.

"But will she accept it?" He whispered. He placed the box in his coat pocket and grabbed the flashbulb. "Hey, look what I found!" He raised the flashbulb and gave out a fake triumphant smile to calm his nerves.

"The flashbulb!?" Kya exclaimed. "I thought Luka –"

"Well you know him, he can be very forgetful." Konan equipped the flashbulb on to the camera and knelt before the camera to adjust the stand.

Kya was relieved that Konan had gotten back to taking pictures and looked at the scenery once again. It was getting late now, but the image of home had made her uneasy. She crossed her arms and gave out a sigh. "You know; it was a good idea to get out of the house."

"Oh really? How so?"

Kya scoffed at him. "Haven't you seen the line outside the house lately? At first, I was flattered that doctors from different nations would come and visit me and talk about my discovery. But lately I've been getting more proposals than medical meetings, and it's driving me crazy."

Konan almost dropped the stand when he heard Kya's outburst.

"I don't know any of them, and they think that they could just waltz in my home, giving me gifts and asking my hand because I'm what? The Avatar's daughter? Do they think I'm that low?"

Konan was starting to lose faith in himself. Hearing Kya rage about the eligible men outside her home had lowered his chances with his proposal, but when he remembered the contents of Luka's letter, he took a deep breath and manned up. "Don't you want to get married?"

Kya was shocked and answered him. "Of course I do, it's just that. None of the men who have proposed to me, don't even know me. All they know is that I am some medical genius who happens to be the Avatar's only daughter. I don't want to spend the rest of my life with a stranger, you know?"

Konan hid a smile from her and stood up. "I know what you need." Grabbing Kya by the hand, he brought her to the camera and told her to give it a shot. "Don't worry, I set it up so that even you can't make a mistake." He guided Kya to look into the lens and position the camera box to where she wanted to. He grabbed her by the hips and instructed her. "Now, before you shoot, just steady your breath. The subject's not moving, so there's no need to worry."

Kya felt his hands steadying her waist, and as she kept inhaling her body started to prickle all over. Konan felt her nervousness and held her hand which was on the camera box. He constantly told her not to get nervous, and slowly he let her go.

Kya took in a few deep breaths and took the shot. The sound of the flashbulb startled her, that she fell butt first on the snow covered mountain. Luckily, the camera did not fall off the edge. Konan was right beside her when she fell and started to laugh. At first, she pouted at him for laughing, but after imagining the scene from his perspective she laughed with him.

Konan helped her up. "So, how does it feel taking your first photo?" He asked.

"It's wonderful." Kya answered. "Seeing the scenery in that small box; it's a different experience. I'm beginning to understand why you guys love it so much."

Seeing Kya glowing with joy had made Konan suddenly remember the necklace in his pocket. He patted the side of his coat where his necklace was safely hidden, and lost the mirth in his smile. Kya noticed the sudden change of his expression and wondered about his health.

"Konan, are you feeling alright?"

"Yes, yes I'm fine!" He answered jumpily. He placed his hand in his coat pocket and held the box with his hand. He slowly lifted it out of his coat, but stopped halfway. He saw Kya coming towards him and held his right cheek. She gently caressed it, thinking that he hasn't been feeling well, and gave him a smile.

"You can tell me anything that's bothering you." She said.

Konan took her hand from his cheek and held it firmly. "It's nothing, I swear you don't have to –"

"Hey, what's this?" Kya grabbed a wooden box from the floor and brought it closer to her face

It did not cross Konan's mind that when he reached to grab Kya's hand, he accidentally dropped the box on the floor. "Wait, don't open –"

Kya did not heed Konan's words and opened the box. When she saw the betrothal necklace she was instantly stunned. "What, is this?"

Konan took the box from Kya and held the necklace in his palm before discarding the box to the ground. "It's a betrothal necklace… For you, actually." He said shyly.

Kya maintained her surprised state, but did not utter a single word.

* * *

"I found this blue ore a few months back, and made this." Konan exclaimed. "I know it's not the most beautiful necklace ever made, but… I made it while thinking of you. This might be the most stupid proposal in the face of the planet, but I really love you Kya. Ever since we were kids, when you kept beating me in our fair snowball fights, I started to have these feelings towards you. You are strong yet kind. And very intelligent. I know you for so very long that I've always seen you as a woman who can stand on her own, you know. When I took that photo of you, you just looked enchanting. I have never taken anything, or anyone as beautiful as you. Whenever I look at you, my heart would start to beat out of my chest. Whenever you talked my body would tingle, and it's the good kind of tingle. And whenever you held my hand I just… Anyway, I think I should just stop before the end of the finish line. There are better, more eligible men out there, who can take care of you. I'm just a measly photographer, even my father thinks that my 'hobby' would lead me to nowhere. You deserve a better man Kya." Konan let out a slight laughter and tightened the grip around the necklace. "Haha, look at me I'm making a fool of myself." He lowered his head in disappointment.

There was a moment of silence after Konan's confession. Konan knew that Kya would not accept his proposal, since he did not do a very good job at it, but when he heard Kya suddenly laughing, he lifted his head and saw her with tears flowing in her eyes.

"What's so funny?" Konan said as he raised a brow.

Kya let herself finish laughing before wiping the tears that rolled down her cheeks. "That was the lamest proposal I have ever heard."

Konan looked at the side in shame.

"But that was very sweet." Kya added.

Hearing this, Konan suddenly lit up.

Kya grabbed the necklace from his hand and observed it. "So you made this, for me?"

Konan nodded. "It took me a while to learn the proper way of carving things, so I ended up with that ugly piece of thing."

"I don't think it's ugly." Kya exclaimed.

"You don't?"

"Everything you make is a beautiful piece of art. Your father doesn't understand what I see in you. Nobody does." She answered. "People always think that you're such a big brute because of the way you look. But you're the complete opposite of that. You're only person I know who can smile through any dilemma and does everything to see it through. In my eyes, you were never a scary or a useless guy. You're quite special Konan and I don't think I deserve a better man than you."

"Does that mean, that," Konan stuttered. "Is that, a yes?"

"No." Kya answered straight forward.

Konan was not prepared with a yes or a no, and froze. His chest suddenly tightened, and he started to breathe deeply. "I understand." He sighed. "Any guy would be lucky to have you –"

"You didn't ask." Kya interrupted with a smile.

"I did. I asked if that was a yes, didn't I?"

Kya suddenly laughed. "Yes, but that's not the proper way, isn't it?" She gave the necklace back to Konan and stood in front of him. "Now; ask me again."

Konan was nervous. He gulped down a lump of saliva down his throat, and he started to shake, but this was his chance to redeem himself from the awful proposal earlier. "Kya!" He uttered before clearing his throat. "I… I present to you this betrothal necklace I made. I forgot which blue ore it was made out of, forgive me."

Kya snickered.

Konan got distracted and paused for a moment. "With this betrothal necklace, I am asking you to spend the rest or our lives together as husband and wife. Will you accept me?"

Konan raised the necklace and showed it in front of Kya. While looking at the necklace, Kya gave him a look of disappointment. Konan waited for Kya's answer. He thought that she was serious when she said no, and closed his eyes to ease the pain of rejection. But instead of a harsh no, he felt Kya's hands wrap around his wrist. When he opened his eyes he saw her place his hands near her chest.

"I love you Konan." Kya uttered. "And nothing would make me happy than living the rest of my life, with you."

Konan quickly hooked the necklace around Kya's neck and admired her. Kya was thrown back from Konan's soft expression that all she can do was flash him a smile. He held her chin with his giant hands, and moved them closer to kiss her on the lips.

* * *

A white light suddenly flashed, and the memory vanished. Everything suddenly became white, but sounds of laughter and merriment got louder and louder. Then the white light started to fade, and revealed what came to be, Kya and Konan's wedding day.

Kya wore a traditional Southern tribe wedding dress. It was a modest white long dress made out of the fur of the finest polar bear dogs, and on her head, a circlet of ice crystals rested upon her forehead. She was nervous and paced around the room where she was held. She knew that everyone was waiting for her to come out, but her pre-wedding anxiety got the best of her, and she started to panic. Suddenly, someone entered her room without her permission causing her to jolt.

"Bumi! What are you doing here?"

"What am I doing here?" Bumi questioned. "Didn't you invite me?"

The siblings stared for a moment, before letting out a synchronized laughter and greeted each other with a hug.

"It's good to see that you made it." Kya exclaimed with tears in her eyes.

"Of course, I made it." Bumi wiped off the tears that flowed from his sister's face. "My sister's more important to me than a million lieutenants!"

Kya offered Bumi to sit next to her on the bed, and had a moment to catch up with each other's stories. Bumi started to brag about his recent promotion of being a General and Kya couldn't be happier for him, but this day was Kya's day. And Bumi changed the topic from his promotion to Kya's wedding.

"So, Konan huh? What a lucky guy he is! I've always told him that he couldn't get any woman to love him, but my sister did!" He patted his sister's shoulder as a sign of approval. "I remembered the time I used to play around with him when we were kids. Crazy, and wild, yet a brave lad he was."

"Remember the time all three of us went to see the glaciers, and you Konan and Luka had a race to see who would make to the site first?"

"Yeah, I remembered." Bumi stroked his hairy chin as he recalled the memory. "We were very stupid then, we had no idea that the glaciers were about to fall! Good thing you and Luka were there to save our behind!"

The siblings joked and laughed at their tales when they were younger. But as the time of matrimony was approaching, Kya couldn't help but become more nervous. She held her brother's hand and gave it a tight squeeze.

"Hey, hey, there's no need to worry." Bumi assured. "You look beautiful Kya, I'm sure everyone out there will think so too."

"Has dad arrived?" Kya suddenly blurted.

Bumi's smile faded and held both of Kya's hands. He looked at his sister and shook his head. "Even Tenzin won't able to make it."

When Kya knew that her father will not be able to make to her wedding, she bit her upper lip and bottled up her disappointment. "He was the first person I invited. I wanted him to at least meet Konan, after a long time. I told him that mom would be overjoyed to see him on this day. Why couldn't he make time from his busy schedule, just for me?"

Tears started rolling down her eyes. Bumi wrapped his arms around his sister and let her cry on his shoulder. He caressed his sister's back in hopes to make her stop crying.

"If I keep telling you that it's his job, then what kind of brother am I?" Bumi uttered. "I know it's hard that dad hasn't made any time for us. So what? Today is about you, not about him! Konan's waiting for you outside, and he's anxiously waiting for you because he knows that you will make him the happiest man alive! Forget about dad and Tenzin. They're missing this great opportunity which I will bathe in, I mean, you will bathe in!"

Bumi's words might be unconventional, but it had always made Kya feel better. She wiped the remaining tears from her eyes and kissed her brother on the cheek. "Thank you Bumi." She uttered.

"Anything for my little sis!"

"How come you know so much about relationships, but you're not even married?"

"How rude! Don't you know that I've courted thousands of women in the military?" He jokingly said.

All that crying had ruined Kya's makeup, and she needed a quick retouch. While she was in the middle of fixing herself, Katara went in the room to remind Kya about the time. But when she saw her daughter dishevelled, she quickly grabbed a brush and helped her daughter.

"What happened to you?" Katara asked in agitation. "No matter, Bumi, wait outside for a moment."

Bumi quickly stood up and gave his mother a salute before leaving the room. Katara grabbed Kya and helped her reapply her make-up on. "What's the matter Kya? You seem upset."

Kya stopped Katara from applying make-up and held her hands. "Mom, I'm sorry dad won't be able to make it. It's just that I thought that it would be perfect for the two of you to have some time together on my wedding day."

Katara gave her daughter a smile, and continued to apply make-up. "It's alright, darling. I understand that your father is a very busy man. Besides, why would we steal the spotlight on your special day? Cheer up, okay? Your father and I still have plenty of time to see each other."

"Alright…"

"Hey, can you hurry it up a bit?" Bumi suddenly interrupted from outside. "But I think the guests are getting bored."

Katara quickly finished applying make-up and readjusted Kya's circlet.

"There. You look beautiful!"

"Thanks, mom."

The white light flashed, and the memory disappeared. Filling Kya's memory, the white light suddenly dissolved and brought her to two years after their wedding.

* * *

During this time, Konan had settled in Republic City with one of his friends while Kya stayed in the South Pole caring for both the people of the south, and the baby she carried in her womb. The first few months without her husband was difficult. He left when she was only two months pregnant, and it worried her that he only knew one person and at the same time, he was living in one of the most dangerous parts of the city. Konan, however, told her that she need not worry. He promised that he will send her numerous letters per week and in return, she must write him a reply either one for each letter, or a long one that answered all his letters for the week. Kya had thought that she would not have a lot of time writing him letters, but after the first few weeks she had dedicated almost most of her free time just writing to Konan.

On this particular memory, Kya was not particularly busy but she was sitting at her desk and anxiously waited for someone to arrive at her doorstep. It was the weekend and weekends are usually slow. For today, she only treated two patients but people coming in were the least of her concerns.

She heard a knock from the wooden pillar of her door and looked up. There was a man standing outside her tent, carrying a bag full of envelopes. Before he can even reach through the bag, Kya stood up from her seat and scrambled to the door.

"Slow down, Kya. You shouldn't be moving a lot." The man said as he took out a fat envelop out of his bag. "I mean, you're about to give birth soon, am I right?"

Kya grabbed the envelope from the man's hand. "Stop joking around, Poh. You have to wait for three more months just like the rest of us." She gently rubbed her protruding stomach with a smile.

"Still, that's not too far away." Poh exclaimed. "You think Konan will be back by then?"

"Earlier, actually." Kya answered. "He told me in his last letters that he'll be back before the baby's born."

"That's great! I'm pretty happy for you guys. Anyway, I gotta go deliver the rest." Poh said his goodbyes to Kya and left. "Have a good day, Kya!"

* * *

Kya retreated into her bedroom and sat on her bed. She hugged the fat envelope and smelled the brown paper. It was like she was a young girl again, receiving letters from friends or secret admirers. She then made a clean tear at the side of the envelope and found a few photos of Konan and his adventures and the long letter. She unfurled the pages and started reading them. Her smile broadened as she read through every sentence. She would occasionally laugh, and return in silence. All the energy while reading the letters had made her heart race a little and the baby in her womb felt her excitement and gave a soft kick.

Kya felt her baby move and gave her stomach a soft pat. "You want to know what daddy's up to, don't you?" She said while laughing softly. "Alright, just give me a moment."

Kya sorted through the pages and found a few pages that she thought was the highlight of Konan's letter.

"Today, Atka told me that the magazine editors wanted to see me in person this week." She read. "Truthfully, I was both grateful and nervous. Well, you know me. But lately, I was thinking about moving out of Atka's apartment, and getting me a proper studio near the city. A lot of editors love my work, Kya. You should have been there during my first few interviews. Whenever I tell 'em that I'm from the South, they all looked at me, puzzled. But when they opened my portfolio and examined my photos, they were all speechless. They keep telling me that they have never seen anyone produce images like I do. I was flattered."

Kya skipped to the next page, and read out lout. "I found out I was allergic to Lychee nuts. Atka and a group of his buddies invited me to eat out one night. The restaurant was called Lao's Kitchen. I placed a photograph of his restaurant in the envelope so you can see how popular his restaurant is. It was known for cooking traditional Earth Kingdom cuisines. I rarely ate out, and I haven't tasted Earth Kingdom cuisine, so I was very excited. Atka has eaten here countless times, so I decided that he'd order for me. He ordered a couple of pao buns, a roasted duck, and a round of lychee juice, which was his favorite drink in the menu. I took a sip of my drink but after a few seconds, my tongue started to itch. When I told Atka, he told me to stick out my tongue which I did. It was bloated and covered in bumps. He told me I was allergic to the fruit, and that I wasn't going to die. I just had to eat through the meal with a bloated tongue, and a weird accent. I miss your cooking"

Kya let out a guffaw. "Maybe this time he'll learn to pace himself when he's on the table." The last page Kya read was the end of Konan's letter. She read silently for a while to learn its contents, but halfway through the page she knew that it was good news and decided to read it to her unborn child. "You mentioned in your last letter that you haven't thought of a name for the baby, and gave me the task instead. When I read that in your letter, you know I did not believe you. You know that I'm bad with names. However, I took a little time and did think of two. One for a boy, and one for a girl. If we had a boy, I'd name him after the great warrior, Yokane. He will be brave, strong and wise. He will respect the land of his forefathers, and those who inhabit it, just like the brave warrior. If we had a girl, I came up with the name, Anana. It was the name of my late grandmother. She was gentle, and forgiving, yet she had a fiery spirit. She always told me that life may not always go the way you want it to, but it will be worthwhile if you saw the light in every dark corner. I always admired the way my grandmother looked at life, and I want our daughter to have that same outlook. If we had twins or more then… We'll think of more names when I get back."

Suddenly Kya was filled with excitement and read on. "I have bought a ticket for the earliest departure to the South and I am expected to be home three weeks from now. I decided that once the baby's born we'll move to Republic City and continue living there. I have missed you so much and I can't wait to see you both!"

Kya quickly looked behind the page and saw nothing. She had thought that Konan had added more to his letter, but seeing that the ink he used in the last page was fading she understood that Konan didn't have enough ink to finish his letter. She returned the letter into the envelope and sank deeper into her bed. While looking at the open envelope, she placed her hands on her stomach and rubbed it gently.

"Daddy's coming home." She whispered to her unborn child. "He hasn't been here for a long time and he's excited to see you. So be good for a while, and don't make mommy worry about you, alright?"

After a few strokes on her stomach, the white light flashed and the memory disappeared. Then the white flash quickly dissolved revealing a memory which Kya wished never happened.

* * *

Kya did not receive another letter after a week. She thought that Konan might have been busy looking for a new apartment, or packing his stuff that he had no time to write her a letter and accepted those theories with ease. But when she heard that a ship had docked near their village two days later, she became very hopeful that Konan had arrived earlier than expected.

Katara and Luka took it upon themselves to fetch Konan at the dock, given her condition. Kya agreed and stayed at home. While she waited, she rearranged the house from top to bottom, and cooked all of Konan's favorite meals. The dock was not very far, but as day turned to night, Kya's hopes started to decline.

When she heard two snowmobiles park outside her tent, she quickly ran to the door and saw her mother, Luka and Tenzin. But Konan was nowhere to be found. When she looked at their faces, she was expecting an explanation. But Katara and Luka couldn't even look her in the eye.

* * *

"Tenzin!" She gave her little brother a hug. "I wasn't expecting you." She said. "Mother and I thought that Konan came home early, but this is also a surprise. Please, come in I'll warm up the food."

"Kya…" Tenzin uttered. "I… I can't…"

"You can't?" Kya raised a brow. "That's funny, I thought you'd be hungry after being on the water for so long."

Katara suddenly held her by the hands. Kya was wondering what her mother was up to, but when she saw Katara tearing up, she felt her heart beating faster. Looking at Tenzin and Luka, she saw that they had the same look as her mother's. Their heads low, and forlorn. Luka wrapped his right hand into a fist and withheld the tears from his eyes.

Kya felt uncomfortable, and looked at Tenzin for an answer. "Tenzin, what is going on?"

Tenzin did not give her an answer. Kya was standing there in silence, feeling stupid because she had no idea what they were being sad about. She then stepped out of the house, but was quickly blocked by Luka.

"Please, Kya. Stay in the house." Luka pleaded.

"Why?"

"It's for the best, dear." Katara uttered. "It's better if we tell you inside."

"Tell me what?" Kya was starting to get frustrated from all her unanswered questions. "Are you guys hiding something from me?"

"Please, Kya! Listen to us and stay in the house." Tenzin grabbed her by the wrist and guided her back in the house.

But Kya had no intention of going back in the house without an explanation. She pulled herself away from Tenzin's hold and forced herself out of the house. Luka held her by the shoulder in hopes of stopping her, but Kya was irritated. All she wanted was a simple explanation as to why they came to her with a miserable air. She argued with Luka, and demanded that she be let out of the house, but Luka kept her from taking one step further.

"What is wrong with you?" She said angrily. "I don't understand, why you came here with those snowmobiles –"

When Kya pointed at the vehicles, she saw that there was something odd with one of them. She noticed that one of the snowmobiles had a huge bag secured on to a sled. Using a rope, the sled was tied securely behind the snowmobile. She stopped arguing with Luka and walked towards the crate. The bag had some sort of unseen source that dragged her to it. As she got closer, the more frightened she became.

"What's this?" She uttered.

Tenzin and Luka looked at each other and accepted their defeat. Tenzin walked beside his sister and hugged her. Even though Kya has not seen the contents of the bag, she knew that something was not right.

"Answer me! What is this!?" She cried as tears started to form in her eyes.

"I'm sorry Kya." Tenzin whispered. "But Konan, won't be coming back."

"What… What do you mean?"

Tenzin asked Luka to help him with the bag. Luka hesitated for a second, but it was better to confront Kya with the truth than forcing her to wait.

Luka knelt next to the sled, unzipped a portion of the bag, and revealed Konan's face. "I'm sorry, Kya. Your mother and I, we. We did not know how to tell you."

When Kya looked at her husband's face, a mixture of shock and grief filled her. Half of his face looked peaceful, while the other was charred and unrecognizable.

"How –"

"It was not an accident." Tenzin blurted. "A group of Equalists planted a bomb in the restaurant we were supposed to meet. He was in the building when it exploded. It was too late for me to do anything… I'm sorry Kya, if I was there earlier, I would have…"

Kya took a long hard stare at her dead husband's face. She knelt beside the body and caressed Konan by the cheek. It was cold.

"You promised me." Her voice trembled. "You promised me that you will be here when the baby's born. You promised me that we'll move to Republic City and raise our family there. You also said that you'll teach our child to penguin sled, remember? You can't be dead! You still have unfinished business with us. Konan, you just can't…" Kya fell on her husband's body and let out a painful cry.

* * *

The white light slowly arrived, disintegrating the painful memory. But Kya's cries can still be heard as the light transitioned to another memory.

* * *

**To be Continued…**


	5. Chapter 5

**Dear Readers,**

Thank you once again for following and faving my story. I hope you're all enjoying, even though the last chapter was quite… How can I put this…? Tragic? ^_^

* * *

**I do not own the Legend of Korra franchise, but this story and all the original characters I own! ^_^**

* * *

**Chapter 5**

Kya was still physically protected in the confines of the bubble, but internally, she was facing a battle she had a difficult time fighting. Resurfacing the memories of her late husband had reopened the grief she had felt the first time she experienced them. Her chest tightened from her pulsating hear beat. She started to sweat uncontrollably, as tears flowed from her cheeks. The memory was so powerful, that even in her suspended state she can taste the grief and salt in her tears. Her hands trembled at the side of her head. It was as if they were telling her to stop, but Kya was not done with the procedure. Letting go would cause her to be in shock which can cause her to drown. She steadied her breathing and allowed her memory to flow.

* * *

Once the white light vanished, it left her in a moment she held dearly. It was freezing cold on this particular night. The icy winds howled outside the tents. Even if the moon was glowing in the dark sky, no one dared to step out of their homes and be swept away from the powerful winds. But even if this hazardous weather, Luka dared to fight the winds to fetch two of Katara's most talented pupils from their houses, and brought them to Kya's home. Luka had to beg them to come with him because on this night, Kya was going through a difficult time in labor.

Kya was not expecting her baby for two more months, but due to the sudden changes of the weather, the schedule had to be compromised. Katara had been with her daughter for almost eight hours coaching Kya through the pain. When the baby was ready, Katara held her daughter by the hand and ordered her to push. Kya could not recall how many times she had to do this, but she remembered how painful it was. She was sweating all over. Her body tightened each time she heard Katara scream. Her heart was racing, and her body was hot from all the energy she was exerting. On her final push, she felt something warm stream in between her legs, and her visions and hearing became hazy. But the final sound she heard before she passed out was the loud cries of her child.

* * *

When Kya regained consciousness, she looked at the window by her desk and noticed that it was still dark. She sat herself up and rested her back on the head of the bed. Looking around, she saw that she was alone in her room. There was an oil lamp blazing on her bedside table, on her desk laid wet towels. She heard voices coming from outside her bedroom, and was at ease when she heard her baby crying and Katara's constant hushing in the next room. She opted to get out of bed to greet her child, but her head was throbbing in pain that all she did was let out a soft groan. The voices from the other room suddenly faded and the sounds of footsteps heading towards her room were heard.

"Ah, I see that you're finally awake." Katara entered the room silently. "There's someone here who wants to see you." She cradled the baby in her arms who was wrapped in a soft yellow blanket. She sat next to Kya and carefully placed the baby in her daughter's hands. "Watch the head." She reminded.

Kya wrapped her arms around her new born and gently cupped the back of her baby's head. The baby looked small in her arms that the blanket was covering almost half of her baby's face. Her baby had a full head of dark brown hair, but her eyes were still shut. This little gem of dark slept peacefully in her arms. She moved the cloth away from her baby's face and started to tickle her baby's nose. "Hi!" She whispered happily. "We weren't expecting you."

"You have a baby girl." Katara uttered.

Kya paused for a moment and beamed a smile at her mother. "A girl... We have a baby girl!"

Katara watched as she saw Kya cover her baby with caresses and kisses. It has been a while since she has seen Kya genuinely smile. A thin smile drew upon her face as she remembered the first time she held Bumi in her arms. It was a pleasant, and special time that should be shared between mother and child. She then stood up and walked towards the door. "If you need anything, Luka, Tala and I are in the kitchen." She looked at her daughter, and did not expect her to answer. She took a peek at the baby once more, and left quietly.

Now that the room was all to herself, Kya brought her baby closer to her chest and softly drew circles around the baby's soft round cheek with her finger. "It's good to finally see you!" She continued playing with her baby's cheeks, when she heard her baby gurgle. It was the first time she had heard her baby make a noise besides crying and smiled. "Hey, it's okay. It's just mommy." She giggled. She then led her finger to her baby's mouth and began outlining her baby's lips. The baby thought that her finger was a tasty treat, and sucked it when she had the chance. Kya let out a soft laughter and admired her baby. But even though she had her baby wrapped safely in her arms, she knew that there was someone missing in the picture. "She's here Konan." She uttered. "Our little Anana's finally here… I wish that you could hold her." Her voice began to croak. "She's so beautiful. She even has your nose. I hope she has your eyes." Tears started welling up in her eyes. She knew that she was talking to herself; she was not crazy. But facing the reality of Konan's absence was tough on her. "I miss you Konan…" Kya started to cry.

Anana looked so innocent sucking her mother's finger; but when she heard her mother starting to cry, she released the finger from her mouth and cried as well.

When Kya heard Anana's cries she wiped the tears from her face and started to rock her gently back and forth. "Shhh, don't cry. Did mommy disturb you? Shhh, it's alright now." But Anana continued to cry.

"Maybe she's hungry!" Katara suddenly hollered from the kitchen.

"Oh, dear, how can I forget?" Kya quickly raised her top and fed Anana. "Sorry, darling. Mommy's fairly new at this." She said jokingly.

Kya watched Anana, happily sucking away. Holding her baby girl in her arms, she tried to pursue letting out a smile. She thought that she would be prepared once the baby is born, but she always imagined it with Konan being by her side. She could not help but cry silently. She was a single mother now.

The memory was soon engulfed by the white light and slowly disappeared. A few seconds later, the white light dissolved and uncovered the next memory.

* * *

A five year old Anana is seen rummaging through the chests in Kya's room. There was mucus dripping from her nose and she tried snorting it back into her nostrils. She constantly wiped her eyes to rid of her tears and coughed whenever she felt like she was about to let out a cry. Kya heard Anana running to her room and caught her in the act.

Kya held her hips and gave a disappointed to see that her room was turned upside down and look at her daughter. "Sweetie, what are you doing?"

Before Anana turned around, she rubbed her face clean from any extra liquids. "N – nothing!"

Kya knew her daughter was lying. She grabbed a handkerchief from her pocket and knelt in front of Anana. "C'mon, tell me the truth, Anana." Using the handkerchief, she wiped her daughter's face. She then wiped her nose, which was filling up with mucus, and told her to blow. Once Anana looked presentable, Kya tucked her daughter's hair behind her ear and sighed. "What's the matter?"

Anana lowered her head and started swaying back and forth like a dangling top. She brought her hands closer to her chin trying to shrink herself from her mother. "Keana, and Dyami are teasing me again." She uttered in a very low voice.

Anana's voice was too low to hear, that Kya could not understand a word she said. But just looking at her daughter's face, she understood that something was bothering her for Anana wasn't smiling like her usual self. "Speak louder, Anana. I can't help you if you don't tell me."

Anana hesitated for moment; averting her gaze from her mother's eyes, but she could not let this opportunity pass. She looked at her mother with all seriousness, took a deep breath, and in one long, fast, and loud sentence, Anana revealed to her mother what had been bothering her.

"Keana and Dyami invited me to go penguin sledding but I told them that I didn't know how but they promised me that they'll teach me but when they started teaching me I kept falling off and they kept laughing at me so I thought they were doing that on purpose so I yelled at them and told them to teach me how to ride correctly but they kept telling me that they were but I didn't believe them then they told me maybe the reason I keep falling off is because I'm too fat and ugly for the penguin… They said I was too fat and ugly for the penguin, mom!" Anana started to cry. Like running water her tears poured down her face and mucus dripped uncontrollably from her nose.

Kya pitied her daughter for having a miserable time playing outside and consoled her in her arms. "Shh, stop crying, Anana." She felt her daughter's warm mucus slide to her shoulder but she did not care. "I'll have a little chat with Luka and Tala about their kids." She said to herself.

"You don't think I'm ugly… Do you mommy?"

Kya looked at her daughter and planted a long kiss on her forehead. "Of course not, sweetie." She parted Anana's bangs to reveal her slime riddled face and wiped it clean with the handkerchief. "You're the most adorable little girl in the whole world!"

Kya hugged her daughter by the waist and propelled her towards her bed. Once Anana landed on the soft bed, Kya did not give her the chance to move and started tickling her. Anana burst out laughing and begged her mother to stop.

* * *

Anana always found it difficult to make friends because the children kept teasing her on the way she looked. Unlike the children of the South, Anana was big boned, just like her father. This made her look bigger than most children. She loved keeping her hair shorter than the other girls, because she believed that if her hair was beyond her neck, bugs will be able to live in her hair. She got teased for that too because all the girls in their village distinguished girls from boys from the length of their hair. And earlier that day, Anana lost a tooth, so whenever she smiled there would be a gaping hole in the top row of her front teeth.

Kya ceased tickling her daughter and caressed Anana's cheek. She gazed into Anana's cerulean colored eyes and smiled. On the day Anana was born, she wished that her daughter would acquire her father's eyes. Her wish was granted. And every time she would look into Anana's eyes, she would always be reminded of her late husband.

* * *

Anana held her mother's hand and smiled. "Sorry that I was touching stuff I wasn't supposed to." She said. "But, mommy, I found something cool inside that chest!" Anana jumped out of the bed and scrambled towards the chest. A few seconds later, she took out a red box filled with old photos and an old camera box that had been coated from collecting dust. "See!" She brought the camera box closer to her face and looked into the lens. "It's a funny looking box. I tried opening it a while ago so I can put stuff in it, but it doesn't want to!"

Anana kept pulling the camera box apart, hoping that if she pulled hard enough the box would open. The camera box started to rattle in the child's hands. The sound of the wooden box slowly separating scared Kya. She grabbed the camera box from her daughter and examined and checked to see if the box had sustained any damage. "It's not that kind of box, sweetie." She then gave out a sigh of relief. "It's not broken." She said to herself with a smile.

"Then; what is it?" Anana was intrigued with the camera box and continued to stare.

Kya looked at the photos lying on the floor, and shuddered. She believed that this was a sign. A sign that that told her it was about time she told Anana about her father. "Pick up the photos from the floor. It's time for me to tell you."

* * *

Both mother and daughter found comfort on the soft bed. Kya rested her back on the head of the bed and wrapped her arms around her daughter. Anana sat in front of her mother, holding the camera box and photos in her tiny plump hands and scattered the photos on the bed. Anana spread the photos around with her hands and picked random images, which she thought was very pretty even though they were all in shades of brown or gray. Kya, on the other hand, picked up three images from the pile and showed them to her daughter.

"Anana, that box you found, was a camera box." Kya explained. "It was used to take these." Kya showed her daughter the three photos in her hand. "It was your dad's favorite thing to do." She said to herself.

Anana held the three photos in her hand. She examined the first image in her hand and saw her mother wearing an elegant dress made out of fur and a crown around her head. Next to her was a large man who had his thick arms wrapped around her waist. The man wore a traditional Southern hunting garment. He had his hair tied to a high pony and his beard was so long that it was tied as well. Both her mother and the man looked at each other with a loving smile. "Mommy, who's that?" She asked, pointing at the man in the photo.

Kya brought her daughter closer to her and took a deep breath before answering. "He's your father, sweetie. His name is Konan."

Anana brought the photo closer to her face. She ran her fingers on the photo and circled around her father's face. "He kinda looks like me."

"Yes, he sure does." Kya kissed the back of her daughter's head. "He was my childhood friend you know. He was a funny and sweet, and very creative; just like you."

"Really?" Anana was excited to know more about her father and switched to the next photo. "What about them? Are they my daddies too?"

Kya laughed at her daughter's question and took the photo from Anana. "No, you can only have one daddy, and it's only him." Kya pointed at Konan in the photo who was standing outside Lao's kitchen with a group of his friends. "These are you father's friends from Republic City. This guy's name, is Atka." Kya pointed at a man who looked six foot three in the photo. His hair was short, and he wore loosely fitted pants dark pants and shirt. Kya could not make out the colors because of the brownish hues of the photo. "Your dad used to live with him when he was working in the city."

Anana was amazed with all the photos her father has taken. She dropped the photos in her hand, and searched through the pile on the bed. She picked up a photo of someone she knew and showed it to her mother. "Look, mom. It's uncle Bumi on his ship." Bumi was standing on his ship's nose and pointed towards the sky in a valiant and proud fashion. "You think he'll be back with another doll so that my Earth Kingdom doll won't be so lonely?"

"I'm sure he will!"

Anana picked up another photo of her father, but this time it was with a man with no hair and an arrow painted at the top of his head. "How about this guy?" She pointed at the bald man. "Who's he?"

"Ah!" Kya grabbed the photo and raised it above their heads. "That's your uncle Tenzin."

"Ohh, so that's what he looks like." Anana exclaimed.

"Yeap. I'm hoping by next year he'll be able to visit so you can finally see him in person." Kya uttered. "I've been telling him to come, but he's too scared to leave."

Kya and Anana bonded over the photos for hours. Anana would pick up a photo and ask her mother who or what was in the image. Kya would happily answer her daughter's questions and fill them with stories on how Konan was able to take such beautiful photos. Once she was done explaining, Anana would throw the photo on the floor and pick up another one from the bed. There were only a few photos left when Anana suddenly noticed something.

"Mommy, why am I not in any of these pictures?" Anana asked.

"Oh? But you are, sweetie." Kya grabbed one of the photos which Anana had laid earlier and showed it to her. "You're right here, see?"

In this photo, Kya was sitting on a chair, while Konan stood at the left side of Kya. Both husband and wife looked into the camera smiling pleasantly in front of their home. Konan had his arm around Kya's shoulder while Kya had both of her hands on top of her stomach.

Anana looked closer at the photo and was disappointed. "I'm not in here, mom."

"Oh yes you are." Kya pointed at her stomach in the photo and smiled. "You were still inside me when this photo was taken."

Anana was shocked. "You ate me?"

Kya started to laugh and started tickling her daughter. "No, silly. I didn't eat you. You were not born yet."

Anana started laughing at her mother's playful hands until she couldn't breathe. She rolled around in her father's photos until Kya stopped. Then, she grabbed a handful of the photos and placed them in front of her.

"You think dad would come by and teach me how to take photos someday?" Anana asked.

Kya's smiles started to disappear. She felt a familiar ache in her chest when she heard her daughter. But she did not want to lie. "I'm sorry, sweetheart. But your father… He can't."

"How come? This looks like fun."

"Anana, your dad; isn't here." Kya explained with a slight croak in her voice.

"Then, where is he? Is he with uncle Bumi?"

"No, sweetheart…" Kya hugged her daughter and brought her closer. "He's up there, in the sky."

"In the sky?" Anana looked at the ceiling and was puzzled.

"Yes. He's been there, for a long time. And he's always watching over us, and protecting us up there. He can't come down here, because…" Kya couldn't finish her sentence and let the tears flow down her face.

Still looking at the ceiling, Anana raised her right arm and waved. "Hi daddy." She exclaimed. "I didn't know that you've been protecting me and mommy for a long time, so thank you. I'm also sorry for messing with your stuff while you're not here. I did not know they were yours." She looked at the rest of the photos lying on the floor and smiled. "You're very good at taking pictures, by the way. I want to be in them too."

Kya wiped the tears from her eyes, and put on a brave face for Anana. "Maybe we can ask your uncle Luka to help. He's better at it than me."

A triumphant smile beamed across Anana's face as she gave her mother a tight hug. And just like that, the white flashed had engulfed the memory. It took some time before the white light dissolved into another memory. Unlike the other memories, which transitioned easily from one another, this memory kept itself from being completed. Kya forced the memory to flow. There was a reason why this memory was difficult to channel.

* * *

The South Pole had been affected by an unknown epidemic which affected both children and adults. The infected all had similar symptoms. A sudden loss of appetite, high fevers, dehydration; which caused the infected to look like their life was slowly being sucked out by this unseen enemy. Healers and doctors from around the planet have been searching for a cure. Already, a handful of southerners have died from this epidemic.

Anana started to show the symptoms a few weeks ago. Kya had thought that it was just a common fever, and treated it like one. But as the days had gone by, Anana's temperature got higher. She started to eat less, and her eyes slowly sunk. Now, Anana is bed ridden in her mother's room. Unable to move from muscle pain, and constant vomiting.

What used to be a room for rest, Kya had transformed her bedroom into a one roomed hospital. She had two cluttered tables filled with herbs, clear bottles filled with strange colored liquids, and crumpled pieces of paper. There was another table solely for boiling the herbs and liquids together. The only table that was used correctly was the bedside table, where an oil lamp flickered next to Anana's pale colored face.

Kya stood beside the bed and placed her hands above her daughter. She looked Anana, who was half awake at that time, and smiled. "Don't worry, this will only hurt a bit." She started bending her fingers, and was able to control Anana's body.

It was her first time blood bending. Kya had done an extensive study that blood bending could be used as a medical tool rather than a dangerous fighting style. She slowly rotated her hands encouraging the blood to circulate in a calm speed. Anana felt her warm blood rush throughout her whole body, making her feel relaxed, but when her muscles started cramping, Kya accidentally tightened Anana's arms causing her daughter to cry out in pain.

"Ow, mommy, it hurts. It hurts! Stop!"

Kya quickly released her daughter and stood in horror to what she had done. "I'm sorry." She trembled. "I promise, I won't do that again."

* * *

Kya heard someone knocking at the side of her bedroom door. When she turned around to look, she saw Bumi letting himself in. Kya was overjoyed and instantly greeted him a hug without uttering a single word.

"It's good to see you too sis." Bumi whispered as he stroked the back of Kya's head. He then raised his head to look at Anana. "Hiya, squirt."

Anana tried to life her head to greet her uncle, but she was in so much pain that even a slight movement would send her to tears. All she could do was hold a smile for half a second for Bumi. Bumi's heart ached, seeing his niece in such critical state.

"Here, put this on." Kya grabbed a medical mask that had been lying on the shelf and handed it to Bumi.

Putting the medical mask over his mouth, he saw how Kya was handling Anana's case. She ran from one desk to the other, crushing leaves and seeds of different colors and sizes before stirring them in a boiling pot of unpleasant smelling fluids. Kya's hands quivered each time she would pick up another ingredient to add in the pot. Her hair was unkempt, her clothes overly stained by unknown spills, and her eyes bloodshot. Bumi knew that Kya lacked sleep, but he never thought that it had gotten this bad.

While Kya was still pounding her ingredients in a bowl, Bumi stepped in and held Kya by the arm. "Kya, please. Just take a moment and get some sleep. You haven't slept in days."

"Weeks actually." Kya corrected. She looked at the mixture in her hands and dropped everything on the desk. "I can't stop now!" She then looked at her daughter who was observing them from her bed, and waved at her before speaking to Bumi. "Look at her, she's getting worse by the hour." She uttered in a low voice. "Many healers in the village have given up finding a cure and it isn't helping. This morning three more people died because of this, this… Whatever this is, and I am not giving up until Anana's cured. I can't let her die, Bumi… I just can't!" Kya suddenly broke down in tears. For weeks she has been experiencing failure after failure, and she was started to get frustrated. People are dying from this epidemic every single day, and whenever she would think of them, she worried that her daughter could be next.

Bumi knew how much Anana meant to his sister and knew how devastated she would be if she was to lose her. He wrapped her in his arms and rocked left and right to console her. "That's why you need to take a break." He uttered to her ear. "Anana needs you to be well once she gets better. At the rate you're going, maybe you'll be lying in bed tomorrow. I need you to rest, Kya. Please, for Anana's sake."

"Thank you Bumi." Kya laid her head on her brother's shoulder until her tears ceased to flow. "I guess I just needed to hear that from you."

"This is unlike you, Kya. You disobeying mother's orders?" He joked.

Kya let out a quick laugh before turning to her daughter. "But, what about Anana?"

"Leave it to me!" Bumi waltzed next to his niece and knelt before the bed before he gently held her hand. "How ya feeling squirt?"

"I've been… Better." Anana breathed heavily.

"Ah, you've been feeling quite under the weather; I see, I see. Maybe this will make you feel a bit, better?" Bumi dug into his right coat pocket and brought out a small gift for his niece.

When Anana saw the gift dangling in front of her eyes, her pasty colored face lit up for a moment. It was a doll made from the Fire Nation. The doll had a red wrapped skirt around her waist and a matching red tube top. She wore a crown adorned with flowers of orange and gold, and her cheeks were dabbed with circles of pink. Bumi placed the doll on Anana's chest and placed her arm on top of it.

"There! Now you have someone to sleep next to you." Bumi expressed with a soft smile.

Anana looked at the doll, and could only express what her body could let her do. "Thank you, uncle Bumi." She uttered.

"Now, why won't I tell you about one of my adventures, while your mom makes herself a cup of tea, huh?"

"Okay. Mommy also needs to rest too."

Bumi gave Kya a subtle nod, telling her that Anana will be under his watchful care. Kya slowly walked towards the door and thanked her brother with a slight bow before leaving.

"Now; have I ever told you how my men and I faced the mighty Snake Shark at sea?" Bumi asked with a gleam in his eye.

* * *

Kya trusted her daughter with Bumi and had the entire kitchen to herself. She was sitting at the kitchen table with a hot teapot at her disposal. With a hot cup of tea in between her hands, she would take minor sips to ease her nerves. She convinced herself that Bumi was right, and that a little rest would not harm her or Anana. She was about to pour her fifth cup, when a familiar voiced called out to her from outside her home.

"Kya?" A male voice sounded.

When Kya looked up, the man had slightly let himself in and smiled with his eyes when he saw her in the kitchen. "Tenzin! What are you doing here?"

"I came here to see you and Anana." Tenzin grabbed a chair beside his sister and sat himself down. He readjusted the medical mask he had been wearing in irritation. "I had no idea that it has gotten this bad. The doctors in the city were not kidding."

Kya stared into her empty cup and started to tighten her grip around it. "If you want to see Anana, you may, but stay out here. I don't want you interrupting Bumi's story."

"Bumi? He's here?" Tenzin stood up and walked towards the bedroom door. Bumi was sitting beside the bed, with his back faced at Tenzin. He was his usual self, exaggerating his stories with bizarre arm gestures and voice modification, while an expressionless Anana was listening intently to his stories.

"She looks… Awful. Nothing like the photos you sent me." Tenzin uttered. "And why is Bumi telling her lies? You know I can do a better job than he can."

"If you were here a few months ago, maybe you would have." Kya spat.

Tenzin was surprised the treatment he received from his sister. "What? I just got here, and now you are mad at me?"

"I'm sorry." Kya ran her hands to her face trying to chase the lack of sleep away. "I haven't slept in weeks, and I'm starting to think I'm losing my mind." Kya poured another cup of tea and raised the cup on front of her.

"Kya, maybe you should stop." Tenzin suddenly uttered.

"Stop at what? Going crazy? I think I can't do that –"

"No, I mean stop whatever it is you are doing to Anana."

* * *

Kya stood up and dropped her cup of hot tea which shattered on the floor. "Excuse me?"

"Look at her, Kya. Your methods aren't working. Mother had told me what you have been doing to her, and I'm starting believe that maybe that's the reason why she is not getting any better."

"How dare you!" Kya felt her hands turn into fists. "How dare you, come to my home and tell me all these things? You haven't even met Anana and you've started thinking about…"

"It's for her own good Kya. I have been in countless hospitals in Republic City, and whenever the doctors and nurses face similar cases, sometimes it is better just to let them go." Tenzin explained.

"What is it with you and Republic City?" Kya questioned. "Here in the South we do things differently and letting our patients go, even if they still have a fighting chance will never be an option. Why are you telling me all these things, at this moment?"

"Because, Kya, I do not want your efforts to be wasted with a lost cause!"

Then, there was silence. Realizing what he just said, Tenzin began to regret opening his mouth. Kya gave him a wolf like snarl.

"Are you telling me, that my daughter is a lost cause?"

"No, I didn't mean it that way." Tenzin paused for a moment and chose his words carefully. "Kya, all I meant was that, if you keep experimenting on her, she might die sooner."

"Get out!" Kya growled, but Tenzin was still standing in front of her, expecting her to change her mind. "I said, get out!"

Using her bending, Kya harnessed a stream of hot tea from the teapot's spout ant hurled it towards Tenzin. He raised his arm over his face to block the scalding hot tea, and winced in pain. Just as Kya was about to hurl more hot tea towards Tenzin, the white light flashed before the memory like lightning and vanished into another of Kya's memories.

* * *

When the white light was done with its transition, it left Kya in familiar ground. She is seen kneeling in the middle of her bedroom with a bucket of water before her, and a headline of a newspaper that was printed four days ago. It read: _Republic City Doctor Has Found Cure for Southern Epidemic!_ There was no one in her bed, and on the bedside table, an oil lamp that was half filled lingered, and two dolls from different nations were lying side by side. The sound of a little girl's footsteps after playing outside disappeared. And her laughter which used to fill the walls of her home was now empty. Kya was alone. Anana had passed on.

Images of her daughter's funeral pyre kept flashing in Kya's head. She remembered how she was not allowed to touch her daughter's body before the fire was lit. She remembered how Anana's was laid on a pile of wood, with her eyes closed and her arms above her stomach. She remembered how the fire swiftly engulfed Anana's body. These memories of her daughter, being burned in front of her were too much for her to handle. She ran out of tears to shed and bellowed herself to sleep every night. Her body could not handle the stress and grief she carried. She had to release herself from these memories.

Using her bending, she raised the water from the bucket and wrapped it around her head. She placed her hands at the side of her head and gradually placed force. The white light on her head circulated around her head and started getting faster. She knew in her heart that what she was doing was unspeakable. But she could not take the pain any longer and fought herself. Tears started to flow from her eyes.

"Kya?"

A familiar voice called her name, but she decided to ignore it.

"Kya?"

The voice got louder.

"KYA!"

A sudden force had released her from her hold. The white light was no more.

* * *

**To be Continued…**


	6. Final Chapter

**Dear Readers,**

Thank you so much for keeping a close eye with my story. I really didn't think that a lot of people liked what I wrote because of the theme, the characters (they are just like sub/ minor characters, so yeah) and that it might be canon (in a bad way). I have this weird fantasy that I am writing for the series, and something like this should happen (crazy, right? xD.) I'm glad that you're all loving it so far, but everything must come to a close. This will be the final chapter of my story, and I can't thank you enough for supporting me all the way. I have also thought of drawing Anana, and Konan for better visuals, then I remembered… I suck at drawing. But who knows, maybe one day I'll post it somewhere. Thank you for faving, following, and alerting to this story. Hopefully you would also have the time to read my other works if you are curious how those stories went. Have a wonderful time reading this final chapter. ~ciao ^_^

P.S

Sorry, may I also join in with the comments and stuff, but I love how I tailored Kya and Bumi's relationship. You can really see that Bumi knew what was important to him even though he was busy with the military and everything, and it's just so sweet, and stuff! Don't you agree?

P.P.S

I have no idea how to write the sound of a Sky bison. I am sorry. xD

* * *

**I do not own the Legend of Korra Franchise, but this story, and all my original characters ^_^**

* * *

**Final Chapter**

Still searching in the heavily snow covered landscapes of the South, Bumi pushed the snowmobile past its limits. The vehicle's engines roared as it splits through the white covered ground. They did not have the time to stop and search on foot, and continued to yell her name, competing with the sound of the engines.

"Kya!" Bumi screamed at the top of his lungs as he turned the snowmobile to the right. "Kya, answer me!"

"Uncle Bumi, let me find her!" Jinora insisted. "I can get a better view, if you just let me!"

"No, Jinora! You will freeze to death if you do that; how many more times do I have to tell you?"

"But –"

_GROOOOOOARRRRR_

When Jinora and Bumi heard the familiar sound of a sky bison's roar, Bumi quickly placed the snowmobile in its breaks.

"You heard that?"

Jinora nodded.

They waited for a few more seconds to certify that what they heard was Oogi's roars, and when the Sky bison bellowed another cry, Jinora pointed to the east from their position. Bumi quickly started the snowmobile once more and raced towards the east. A few minutes later, they saw Oogi staring into a gaping hole in the middle of an unfrozen lake. Beside him was an empty brown sack with a few tresses of cabbages, scattered on the opening. Bumi quickly jumped out of the vehicle and ran next to Oogi. Upon hearing footsteps heading his way, Bumi gave out another roar, expecting Bumi to give him another treat.

"Good, boy!" Bumi praised the beast by patting him on the nose. He looked into the crack and saw a white light blinking in its depths. Fear suddenly shrouded upon his face. He hoped to be wrong when he thought that Kya was going to wipe her memory, but now that reality was in front of him, he quickly undressed his coat and started to mumble to himself. "I was lucky the first time, I hope I'm not too late now. Kya, don't fail on me!"

Upon seeing her uncle undressing before the hole, Jinora skated towards Oogi and held on to his fur. "Uncle, Bumi; where's aunt Kya?"

"Jinora, I want you to stay back; and whatever you do. Please. Do not come near until I tell you to!"

Before Jinora could answer, Bumi dove into the bone chilling lake. Jinora expected that her uncle would easily find Kya and resurface from the water together, safe and sound. But as the seconds got longer, she worried the more. Placing her fist upon her chest, she held in a deep breath. She found no comfort in her thoughts. She started to think about Bumi and Kya drowning or freezing within the lake or that Kya had been dragged to the bottom of the lake, making it impossible for Bumi to look for her.

* * *

Suddenly, Jinora heard the water rippling and in one swift moment, Bumi came out gasping for breath with Kya in his arms. Jinora was so relieved upon seeing them unharmed and decided to help her uncle bring Kya out of the lake. It only took her three steps, when Bumi raised his hand and demanded her to stay where she was.

When Bumi laid his sister on the ice, he started to check for a pulse. Her heartbeat was weak; she was alive; but she did not wake up. Bumi gave her a slight pat on the cheek a few times, but when she did not respond he held her shoulders, and rattled her. "Kya?" He hollered. "Kya?"

Kya did not respond. In Jinora's eyes, it looked like Bumi had failed to revive his sister and it scared her. Tears started rolling down her eyes as she covered her mouth with both her hands to silence her terror. "This isn't happening…"

Bumi was starting to lose hope. He was at the verge of crying, when he raised his sister by the shoulders and screamed in front of her face. "KYA!"

Kya slowly opened her eyes. She saw Bumi crying incessantly. She caressed him by the cheek and gave him a smile. "Bumi… What are we doing here?" She looked at her surroundings and wondered what they were doing outside. "What is this place?"

Bumi looked at Kya in the eye. The light from her eyes had vanished, and she felt lost. He could not prevent what he had feared the most. "No. No, no, no!" Bumi brought her closer and stared her in the face. "Kya, listen to me; bring them back!" He demanded. "You can't treat them like this. Bring them back, Kya. You have to! Remember Konan and Anana!"

Kya just stared at him, puzzled by the words he said.

"No! Kya, bring them back!" Bumi cried with a crack in his voice. "Remember them, Kya! Remember how Konan used to clown around to get your attention. Remember how he'd take you by the hand and bring you to his favorite spots. Remember the first time you saw Anana walk, and say your name for the first time. Please, Kya; please do not forget! Konan and Anana"

Suddenly, Kya's eyes widened, and felt a jolt of pain strike her head. She began to scream. The memories she tried to channel out forced themselves back in her mind. It felt as if her head was being crushed from all sides and that screaming was the only way to ease the pain. She squirmed in Bumi's arms and started pounding him on the shoulder. Bumi kept her in his arms and bit his upper lip through the pain. He let himself be beaten up by his sister, and by the time Kya stopped, he was covered with bruises.

Kya continued to scream in Bumi's arms until she had returned to her senses. When she realized what she had done, she began to weep. "Bumi, I... I couldn't take it. The memories... I just can't! I'm sorry!"

"Shh, you don't need to say anything. I got you out just in time." He uttered. He let Kya release all her grief and regret in her arms. Looking up, he saw Jinora shaking in horror. He realized that the child had seen something that must have been difficult for her to understand. He then raised his hand to get her attention, and pointed at his coat that he undressed before he got in the water.

Jinora grabbed the coat from the ground, and slowly walked towards Bumi. She held the coat close to her chest, still horrified by Kya's display. Whenever she and her siblings visit the South Pole, Kya was almost always enthusiastic to greet them in. She did not know how to react seeing Kya as she is now. Bumi took his coat from his niece and wrapped it around Kya's body.

"Thank you…" Kya whispered. Looking to the side, she saw her niece with her hands closely held on her chest and looked as if she had seen a ghost. "Jinora! What are you doing here?"

"She knows, Kya." Bumi confessed. "Tenzin told her everything."

Kya could not speak. She realized that Jinora, had stood there in fear as she watched her thrashing wildly in Bumi's arms. She felt, vulnerable and almost naked in front of her niece. She lowered head, still looking for the right words to explain to her niece what she had happened, and what she had been doing.

"Jinora, I…" She uttered. "I…"

Jinora immediately gave Kya an embrace as she fell to her knees. Kya was stunned by her niece's actions and did not move. Tears started to form from their eyes. "You don't have to say anything." Jinora cried. "I'm just glad you're safe!"

* * *

It has been almost two hours since Bumi and Jinora went out to search for Kya, and Pema loathed every second of it. When she had heard the news about Jinora going out of the compound in the middle of the night, she immediately looked for Tenzin, and blamed him for Jinora's reckless actions. Tenzin had been sitting on the same bench but experiencing a different moment. This time, he was with his wife who had been scolding him ever since he let Jinora out of his sight. He sat there, staring at the ground and disappointed with himself. Pema stood in front of him, with her arms crossed and her brows arched in anger.

"And another thing!" Pema roared. "Why were you sneaking out in the middle of the night? Are you trying to hide something from me?" Pema started tapping her left foot on the snow covered ground, and waited for Tenzin's answer. Tenzin looked at her, and then returned to looking at the ground. "You know that if you don't tell me, I'll eventually find out. And you will not like it when I find out." She said in a threatening tone.

Tenzin felt defeated. He let out a breath and looked at his wife in the face. But when he was about to explain to her about the White Lotus' offer, they heard Oogi's roars not too far from the compound.

"I see them!" A guard on top of the main doors pointed towards the Sky bison that flew above him. Oogi landed in the middle of the festival grounds, carrying Bumi, Kya and Jinora on his back.

"Jinora!" Pema quickly dropped the unforgiving wife act, and quickly ran towards Oogi.

Tenzin stood from the bench and soon followed Pema in a non-exhilarated manner. Yes, he had been worried about his daughter for the past two hours and seeing her slide down on Oogi's furry side had erased all of his worries, but something in him told him that there was something wrong in this picture. After Jinora had slid down from Oogi, Bumi assisted Kya off the beast's back. Jinora held her aunt by the hand and ignored Pema when she greeted her safe return with a long warm embrace.

Pema cupped her daughters face and started kissing her by the head. "Sweetie, are you alright? I was so worried. Why did you run away like that?"

"Uh, yes mom, I'm fine." She uttered. "Mom, I don't feel like talking about it right now. I'm kind of tired."

"Alright, Jinora. We'll talk about this in the morning. I'll have a word with your uncle for now." After giving her daughter a goodnight kiss on the cheek, her motherly face turned into a hateful scowl when she looked upon Bumi.

"To the person who owned the snowmobile we borrowed; I am sorry!" Bumi declared with both of his arms raised to the side. "But it ran out of gas, and I have no idea how to retrieve it. Let me just get you a new one, or just give you a couple of Yuans for you to buy another–"

"And as for you!" Pema pointed at Bumi, interrupting his apology. "What were you thinking? Letting Jinora ride this abomination? Don't you know how dangerous this vehicle is?"

"Oh, and flying on the back of a four hundred pound beast that flies in the sky is much safer!?" Bumi argued in a joking tone.

Pema was furious and started to argue with Bumi some more. Tenzin wanted to intervene, but he knew there was something he must first do. He saw Jinora heading towards Kya's tent, and stopped her before she could get inside. He held her daughter by the shoulder to get her attention, but when Jinora looked at him, her face obviously told him that she did not want to see him.

* * *

"What are you doing here?" Jinora said coldly.

"Jinora, please. I need to explain the things I've said." Tenzin uttered.

Kya noticed that Jinora had no intention to speak with her father, but she knew perfectly well that Jinora needed to hear her father out. "It's alright, Jinora. I can do it from here." She released her hand from Jinora's and continued towards her tent.

Now that Tenzin had Jinora for himself he had all the time he needed. He knelt on one knee to level his daughter and caressed her cheek. "Jinora, what I said back then. I didn't mean any of them." He paused for a moment for Jinora to say something, but she was silent. "I was very angry. You know how it is when your mind's full of ill thoughts. Sometimes you say hurtful things to people you love. I know that you are angry with me, Jinora and you don't have to forgive me now. I just want to say I'm sorry."

"Then why don't you apologize to aunt Kya?" Jinora spat.

Tenzin was stunned.

"She's the one who needs your apologies, and not me."

"Jinora, I –"

"You know you hurt her … When uncle Bumi pulled her out of the lake; I saw everything with my own eyes… I was afraid…"

"But I hurt you too." Tenzin uttered in a low voice. "Jinora, what I did to you was unforgivable. A father should never hurt their child. And I hurt you. I shouldn't ask for forgiveness, but. Jinora, I would do anything to bring back our relationship."

"Anything?" Jinora questioned.

"Yes, as long as it is within my power."

Jinora took in a deep breath before saying a word. "Then don't accept the job, dad."

"What? But I –"

"You said anything, remember?" Jinora reminded. "You shouldn't be thinking twice."

Tenzin could not believe his ears when he heard Jinora's request. He knew that he deserved to be in the White Lotus and wanted to give Jinora a piece of his mind, but he could not even speak. Jinora looked at her father in disappointed. He was not giving her an answer.

"I'm going back to bed, dad. I hope you do the right thing before I wake up."

* * *

Kya had a sleeping time sleeping that night. The memories of Konan and Anana were still fresh in her mind and was afraid that if she closed her eyes, she will never escape the pain and grief she had felt. She looked upon her bedroom door hoping that staring into nothingness will channel the memories elsewhere, but was surprised when she saw her mother letting herself in her room.

"Mother?" Kya sat up and rubbed the tears out of her eyes. "What are you doing here?"

"I came here to see you." Katara answered.

An old red box was safely wrapped in Katara's bosom as she sat down next to her daughter. She placed the box on Kya's lap and told her to open it while wearing a soft smile in her face. When Kya lifted the box's lid, she started to weep. Before her eyes were photos of her husband and daughter. Photos of different hues of brown and gray holding the two most important people in the world. Kya grabbed them and took the time to savour the captured moment of each. She would laugh at some, and be silent with the others. But when it came to the photos of Anana sitting on her lap and the last photo she had taken with Konan, she would guide her finger to outline their faces and let out a thin smile.

"I am old, Kya, and my memory will start to fail me. And I fear that I will begin to forget the people who means so much to me. That's why I keep them in this box, and in my heart. Because I will be reminded that these people were special, each time I open both my heart and this box. You have a long way to go before you start forgetting. Please, do not start now."

Kya held her mother by the hands and rested her head on her shoulder. "Thank you, mother."

Katara joined Kya rummage through the old photos and reminisce the moments captured in the small images. There was one image that captured her eye and grabbed it from the pile. She showed it to her daughter, but when Kya saw the image her soft smiles faded.

"What's the matter, Kya?"

Kya lowered the image from her face and looked at her mother. "Mom, this is a photo of dad's statue in Republic City."

"Yes, I know." Katara exclaimed. "Don't you like it?"

"It's not that." Kya uttered. "Mom, remember when I left the South to; collect myself?"

Katara nodded.

"I never told you this, but. During my visit to Republic City, I met dad. When he saw me, he was surprised to see me married and told me that I did not invite him to my wedding!" She with a laughter of disappointed. "I wrote to him months before the wedding, and when I asked him about the letters I sent him he said his secretaries did not receive anything. He then started wondering where my husband was because I was all alone, and he kept asking if I had any children... I could not answer him." Tears started flow from her eyes. "This happened three years after Anana left, mom! And he knew nothing about them. Was he so busy being the Avatar that he had no time to read any of my letters, or even have time for us?"

Kya's grip tightened around Katara's hands. It was painful letting out all her anger towards her father. Katara understood how her daughter felt. Aang was always busy with his duties, that she sometimes felt like she was married to a stranger. She had no words to tell Kya. But during this moment, words seemed weak. She embraced her daughter, and swayed her back and forth as Kya let out all her frustration in her arms.

* * *

The elders of the White Lotus have been waiting for Tenzin in their tent the whole evening. When they received news about his family matters, they forgave him for being late. Now that he stood before them, they awaited for his answer.

Hoda stood beside Tenzin with his arms tucked in his back and his back straight. He kept shifting his eyes towards Tenzin, anxiously waiting for his answer. "Tenzin, the elders have forgiven you for being late. But they could not wait for your answer for another day. The sun will rise in a couple of hours, and they must know your answer before then."

Tenzin gazed at the elders who were seated before him. His eyes burned in determination. He took in a deep breath and in one confident voice he gave them his answer. "When do I start?"

* * *

**END**


End file.
